To Love The Lawyer
by Sese Daniels
Summary: Halle Mitchell is the most fierce lawyer Altaria has seen in years, and this stubborn, "common" woman wants nothing more than to live her life in peace, away from a stupid, silly prince named Roberto who considers her as his best friend. But when Roberto calls one day and "asks" her for a favor, Halle gets dragged into being Prince Joshua's escort to a party at Nobel Michel Castle.
1. Chapter 1

It is common knowledge that there are six of the biggest, most successful kingdoms in this world, and they each have their own charms to them.

Altaria is an antique, beautiful kingdom with less strict rules and regulations compared to the other kingdoms. Belonging to this kingdom is Prince Roberto Button: a kind, gentle, and carefree man who seems to lack a sense of propriety on most occasions.

Liberty is a very prideful, fairly new nation that is currently the largest of the six with a spectacular business industry. The only thing more proud than the country itself is its prince, Keith Alford. He is a stubborn and arrogant man who looks down on others and their opinions, and despite just how rude he can be on some occasions, he is a very caring person.

Charles is a calm, relaxing kingdom that upholds the most pleasant reputation of them all, and frequently holds celebratory balls for various occasions. Just like the kingdom itself, Prince Edward Levaincois was a very kind, thoughtful, generous, and considerate man. Naturally, he was one of the most popular with the ladies, knowing exactly what to say and how to treat a woman.

Phillip is a charming, smaller kingdom that has been up and running for over one hundred years, and is very set in their ways. Prince Wilfred A. Spencer belongs to this country, and he tends to come off as a more calm, cool, and collected kind of man in comparison to the other princes.

Oriens is the most technologically advanced kingdom of all six, very large in size as well, and is even comparable to Liberty. Prince Glenn Casiraghi, the youngest prince of all six kingdoms, is a very sarcastic eighteen-year-old with a bad attitude most of the time. He always tends to say things the wrong way, or is often misunderstood.

And lastly, there is Dres Van: easily one of the oldest, most cookie-cutter strict kingdoms of them all, which comes off a little severe when it comes to all of its rules. Prince Joshua Lieben...where do you even start when describing this man? He is cold, distant, and purely objective. He does not affiliate with anyone below himself, and if it didn't have anything to do with him succeeding the throne, he wanted nothing to do with it at all. Not being very good at being honest, Prince Joshua is a very reserved man who practically lives and breathes the law.

Six kingdoms, and six royal families. All six regularly attend the most luxurious parties at Nobel Michel Castle: a grand, glorious palace of glittering gold walls and red carpets running down the halls.

Nobel Michel is a lone island that floats in the sea, and most of this island is given over to the grand castle of Nobel Michel. It's a special territory shared between the six kingdoms, and there is no way to reach it other than a single road that connects to all six of the surrounding kingdoms; it's run by Lord Michel himself. Many royal events and gatherings are held here in this "holy land," and in fact, Nobel Michel has its own little legend as well.

Legend has it that any couple married in the castle is destined to live an eternal life of happiness with their beloved, and it's every girl's dream to get married in that castle.

Unfortunately, it's not like just _anyone_ could get married there. Only members of the prestiged royal families were permitted to be married in the castle; no common woman would ever have their dream come true in that castle.

At least until one day, a very stubborn young lawyer decided she would be the first to break that tradition.

* * *

 **Soooo... I am a little embarrassed that I am totally addicted to this little anime/dating simulator called Be My Princess, and JOSHUA IS MY FAVORITE PRINCE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH XDDDDD I had to write a fanfiction for it. I'm so sorry you must put up with my fangirling, if you're one of my regular readers who doesn't even know what this is for and is just reading this because I wrote it XDDDD I promise you will love this story though and it will make sense, even if you haven't played the game!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Be My Princess or its characters.**

 **Claimer: I own all changes to the plot (this is 80% original plot-wise) and my own characters of course, like my main character Halle.**

 **XDDDDD this has been sitting in my drafts for** ** _months_** **...**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Your honor, I motion to have this case dismissed, for the lack of any hard evidence against my client is just _insulting_." The lady lawyer squinted her eyes at the judge sitting before her scornfully, trying desperately to get her point across and be taken seriously.

Her name was Halle Mitchell: a short, pale, slender woman of twenty-three who towered over everyone at a _whopping_ height of five-foot three-inches, who had the most _gorgeous_ caramel-kissed, light brown hair that normally was swept over her left shoulder in a cascade of beautiful beach waves that blended with her bangs swept to the left side of her face. Her amber-brown eyes were considered to be the most fearsome, intimidating eyes a woman in any of the six kingdoms had ever been born with. She was well accessorized with a matching necklace and pair of earrings, and because of her fabulous style, her makeup was very well done and her four inch black stilettos as her choice in shoes for the day were _excellently_ decided to be worn with today's outfit.

Today, this young woman, this _lawyer_ , was dressed in a simple, deep purple, strapless sweetheart-shaped dress that barely came down to her knees. Over top she had a mature black cardigan to cover her bare shoulders and to make her appear to be dressed more appropriately for the hearing she was currently at, and her gorgeous brown hair had been messily tucked up into a bun. Her fierce, sharp eyes were accented by a pair of thin, black-framed glasses that she had quickly thrown on this morning in a rush, not having the time to put in her contacts. Her vision wasn't _that_ bad, but if she wanted to see sharper details of things twenty feet from her, she needed to wear her contacts.

"Your honor, if I may..." Opposing council rose from his chair, holding up a single finger as he addressed Judge Harlan. "You cannot dismiss this case so _easily_ , given the evidence we have compiled against Ms. Mitchell's client." He sneered over at the lady lawyer, feeling bitter simply because she even _dared_ to challenge his client's accusation against hers in attempt to get this case thrown out before it went to trial.

Judge Harlan impatiently rose his gavel to the two bickering lawyers. "Council, this is my office. _Not_ the courthouse. If you two cannot stop bickering long enough to plead your case, I won't even bother to listen to another word," the older man adjusted his harsh glower from one lawyer to another.

"Your honor, any evidence the DA has against my client, Mr. Thomas, is _purely_ circumstantial." Halle bowed her head slightly, respecting the judge's impatience.

"How is this circumstantial, Ms. Mitchell?" The judge squared his shoulders, not changing the even, serious look on his face for a single second.

Halle tried to resist the urge to allow the corners of her lips to stretch into a sinister grin at the sight of the judge's curiosity. "Sure, your honor, someone did, in fact, bash in Tammy Thomas' car with a baseball bat, but other than the discarded bat found by the car, and an anonymous report of a man that looked similar to my client fleeing the scene, the DA has no hard evidence tying my client to the crime." The woman stood tall and proud and she fiercely began obliterating the DA's case against her client. "Yes, Tammy's soon-to-be-ex husband, my client Mr. Thomas, did, in fact, have the motive to smash up her car, given that Ms. Thomas has recently been seeing another man after she initiated the divorce, but my client has an alibi." Halle rose her chin up to meet the judge's face. "Mr. Thomas' boss can vouch for his whereabouts, and he _assures_ that my client was golfing with him at the time of the crime."

Opposing council looked a little nervous at Ms. Mitchell's tough argument. "Your honor, Ms. Mitchell's client had the motive to destroy my client's car, not to mention the anonymous tip reporting a man similar to Mr. Thomas fleeing the scene." He placed a hand on his client's shoulder, directing the judge's attention to Tammy. "The damages to her vehicle cannot go unpaid."

"Do you have a recorded video of my client committing the crime?" Ms. Mitchell immediately interjected, stabbing her opposing council's argument with a sharp knife. "Unless you have something other than motive and circumstantial evidence, I highly doubt you can possibly prove my client is guilty of damaging Ms. Thomas' car, even though they were barely two months separated when she started seeing someone else just to purposefully spite my client."

"Objection!" Opposing council slammed his fist down on his bench. "Council is testifying!" He glared over at the judge to do something as he pointed a shaky finger at Ms. Mitchell.

"Withdrawn." Ms. Mitchell calmly held her hands up in the air defensively as she took a step back, backing off of her previous statement.

Judge Harlan sighed exasperatedly, slumping his shoulders as he took in one long, deep breath. "I'm inclined to agree with Ms. Mitchell: the evidence against Mr. Thomas is circumstantial." The judge glared over at the opposing council, unhappy that he wasted his time with such a flimsy case. "Council, I suggest you start looking for someone else to sue for the damages to your client's car, because this case is _dismissed_."

Halle's lips curled up into a bright grin as she watched the judge's gavel come into contact with his desk, ignoring her opposing council's jaw clattering to the floor suddenly from his hard loss as the loud bang of the gavel reverberated through the room.

Mr. Thomas rose from his chair with an intense look of relief on his face, and he sighed happily as he embraced his lawyer in a tight hug. "Oh my god, thank you, Halle!"

Halle chuckled slightly as she pulled away from her client, watching an angry Ms. Thomas storm out of the judge's office with her lawyer close behind her. "It was no trouble at all. I told you I could get this case dismissed before it went to trial, didn't I?" She smiled reassuringly at her client as she swung her black purse over her shoulder, turning to leave.

"I know it was a pain for you to travel all the way out to Charles to take my case, but..." Mr. Thomas smiled at his lawyer brightly, just as an innocent man proven just that would. "Thank you."

"Any time." Halle nodded her head to him as she calmly strode out of the judge's office, clicking her high heels as she began to pick up her pace.

She had to walk a little faster and get out of there fairly quick. After all, if she wasted even a single _second_ , she would miss her flight! A three hour, nonstop flight back home to Altaria? Oh joy, what a thing to look forward to...

The poor girl had no idea just what kind of trouble she would run into shortly at the airport.

* * *

One hour earlier, in Nobel Michel Castle...

Tonight, Nobel Michel Castle was hosting a grand, _glorious_ party for all of the six kingdoms to attend, as well as the noblemen and women. In a room inside the castle gathered the six princes, who were all hanging out with each other before the party tonight. The party was going to start in just two hours, and they already had a disaster on their hands.

"What do you _mean_ she is not coming!?" Prince Joshua of Dres Van barked at his insignificant butler Jan, completely annoyed and enraged with his insubordination beyond belief.

An apologetic Jan remained calm and respectful on the outside in order to be polite towards his master. "I am sorry, your Highness. Mia, your escort for tonight, cancelled last-minute. Something about..."

The twenty-four-year-old narrowed his purple eyes at his butler, turning his head to the side. "I do not _care_ what her excuse was." Prince Joshua impatiently snapped, cutting Jan off. "Just find me a new escort!" A low scoff reached Prince Joshua's ears, and the purple-haired prince spun quickly on his heel to face the chuckling Prince Glenn of Oriens. "And what about this is funny to you, Prince Glenn?"

"Nothing at all." The sarcastic, witty eighteen-year-old bitterly smiled at Prince Joshua, relaxing on the couch in his current sitting position. "I'm just thinking it will be rather hard to find someone within half an _hour."_

The blonde prince with sharp blue eyes looked over at the flustered Prince Joshua, appearing to be very bored. "True... It _is_ very late notice, and the lady would barely have any time to get ready and prepare herself."

Prince Joshua glared at the man who just spoke. "Well, do you have any better ideas, Prince Wilfred?"

The twenty-five-year-old from before looked off the side and away from Prince Joshua. "No. Not really."

"I'm sure we can find someone for you." A smiling man with purple eyes and shock-white hair placed a reassuring hand on Prince Joshua's shoulder. He was dressed in his country's formal attire that mainly consisted of red and blue, bearing Charles' crest proudly. "Try not to worry too much, Joshua."

"Try not to worry?" A scoff and an eye roll came from a spiky brown-haired prince with what appeared to be a permanent bitter attitude surrounding him. "Prince Edward, do not kid yourself. It would be completely _embarrassing_ for Joshua to show up to this party alone, not to mention just how much it would harm his reputation."

Prince Joshua glared a thousand daggers at Liberty's Prince Keith, the one who had just spoken. "Which is why this matter needs to be resolved _immediately_. This is a complete waste of my time!" Prince Joshua tried to remain calm as he paced around the room, thinking both this party and this little "catastrophe" were a waste of his time.

Neither of these things had _anything_ to do with him taking the throne, therefore making them a waste of the Dres Van prince's precious, limited free time.

"Calm down, Josh!" Prince Joshua cringed when he felt Prince Roberto swing a carefree arm over his shoulders, smiling brightly at him. "We just have to find you a date real quick, and then this will all be over!"

Prince Joshua was annoyed by Altaria's Prince Roberto, unable to comprehend how the brown-haired, brown-eyed, twenty-five-year-old could act so childishly like he always did.

Jan quickly interjected in the conversation. "Your Highness, if I may..." He hesitantly rose a finger as he addressed Prince Joshua. "Perhaps you could call someone you already know?"

Prince Joshua just scoffed at what a ridiculous question that was. "And ask for a favor? Nonsense. I know no such woman who would agree to come on such short notice."

"Probably because you _hate_ women..." Prince Roberto coughed awkwardly under his breath, then quickly smiled apologetically when he met with Prince Joshua's angry glare. "I didn't say anything!" He quickly denied his statement, trying desperately not to laugh at how angry the Dres Van prince was.

Prince Edward smiled and shook his head at the two. "Perhaps someone else in the room knows someone who could be here within the hour?" His wandering eyes landed on each of the other princes, gauging their reactions.

Prince Glenn couldn't seem to think of anyone as he immediately gave up trying. Prince Keith looked like he was so bored with this useless conversation that he started tuning it out several minutes ago. Prince Wilfred appeared to be genuinely lost deep in thought trying to think of someone.

And Prince Roberto...

Prince Edward glanced at the prince dressed in red, black, and white formal attire from his country, who seemed to have this look on his face that suggested he was hiding something. "Roberto, do you know someone who could be Joshua's escort for the night?"

Prince Roberto squirmed slightly under Prince Edward's impossibly kind stare, looking at anything but the white-haired prince. "Well, kinda, but..." He laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his light brown hair. "I'm just not sure how willing she'd be to do this favor for me."

Alberto, a tall, slender, stern man who was Prince Roberto's butler stood off to the side of the room, and he quirked one of his eyebrows when his prince mentioned such a woman. He knew _exactly_ who Prince Roberto was talking about, and he was already dreading what his prince was about to do.

"Well, it's not like we have any other choice." Prince Joshua flashed Prince Roberto a hardened glare, crossing his arms over his white suit tightly. "Call her."

A nervous bead of sweat rolled down Prince Roberto's forehead as he reluctantly pulled out his cell phone. "Well, I can't do that, exactly..." He laughed a little as he began dialing the number of the airport. He was already dreading this.

Prince Glenn, the prince with reddish-brown spiky hair and sharp eyes of the same color, looked over at Prince Roberto quizzically. "And why not?"

Prince Roberto held the cell phone up to his ear as he shot Prince Glenn a nervous smile. "Well, young Glenn, that is simply because _she will not come."_

A vein bulged from Prince Glenn's forehead at the "young Glenn" comment, but his insecurity about his age was quickly dismissed by Prince Joshua, who angrily turned to Prince Roberto. "If she will not come, then how are you going to get her here? And why would I even want to bother tolerating the presence of an inferior woman who would _refuse_ such an invitation?"

"Because you have no other choice, Josh." Prince Roberto looked uncharacteristically serious as he glanced over at the grumpy prince before he heard the airport suddenly pick up his call. "Oh, hi! Uh... Yeah. I would like to report a suspicious woman wandering around the airport with what looks like a bomb in her purse? Yeah, she's about five-foot three-inches tall, has pretty brown hair and eyes, and..."

The other five princes stared at Prince Roberto in absolute shock after witnessing what he had just done. He didn't _seriously_ just do that, did he...?

"What are you doing!?" Prince Joshua snatched Prince Roberto's phone from him just as he finished the call, a little too late to stop him. "Faking a bomb threat is against the law!"

Prince Roberto chuckled nervously under his breath, patting Prince Joshua on the shoulder. "Well, Josh, I just got you a date for tonight's party!" He nervously stared down at the floor as his shoulders slumped. "Although she's probably going to kill me when she gets here in about...twenty minutes."

* * *

 **So, this is kind of my take on Joshua's story from Voltage's Be My Princess game. As you can clearly see, both this plot and my main character are...a bit different. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this little intro chapter that introduces you to a majority of the characters! XD**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

Prince Edward stared at Prince Roberto depressingly, very worried for the woman's sake. Being the caring man he was, he just couldn't get her off of his mind. What was Prince Roberto _thinking_...? "Roberto, do you not think that was a little... _unnecessary?"_

"I _wish_ it was..." Prince Roberto awkwardly frowned, scratching at the back of his head. "I was serious when I said she wouldn't come if I didn't do something crazy like that..."

Prince Keith just scoffed, almost a little amused by this. "She sounds like a cheeky little girl. Or she is just extraordinarily smart for not listening to you."

Prince Roberto stuck out his bottom lip to pout, looking completely dejected as the disappointment crashed over his head like a huge wave. "Aww, Keithster, don't be like that!"

Prince Keith snapped at Prince Roberto, "do _not_ call me that!" before he quickly turned back to the other princes on the couch.

It had been fifteen minutes since Prince Roberto made that call and sent Alberto to fetch this "mystery woman" from the airport and bring her to Nobel Michel Castle, and the other five princes were very confused by this strange turn of events.

Prince Roberto knew Halle was in Charles on a case, and he knew she was supposed to leave tonight and had her flight booked for four o'clock this afternoon. He knew what kind of woman she was, and he absolutely, most _certainly_ knew what the consequences of screwing her over like this were.

"...you do realize you are going to be in a lot of trouble when the authorities realize it was a false alarm, right?" Prince Glenn was as serious as ever, although he was a little amused deep down with Prince Roberto's methods.

"Yeah..." Prince Roberto exhaled sharply. "Honestly, I'm not too worried about that. I'm more concerned with just how mad at me she is going to be when she storms in here any minute." The prince of Altaria jerked his thumb behind him, directing everyone's attention to the two doors at the front of the room.

"What do you think she will do to a _prince?"_ Prince Keith almost laughed at how crazy Prince Roberto's unease was, thinking it was completely unnecessary. "There is not much of anything she can do to you."

"I wouldn't underestimate her." Prince Roberto shook his head decisively, nervously biting the inside of his cheek. "This won't exactly be her first time scolding me..."

"I would imagine that is the case for _anyone_ acquainted with you." Prince Joshua observed, unamused in every way possible.

"Ouch." Prince Roberto clutched his heart, looking offended as he pouted to Prince Joshua. "That's a little harsh, Josh!"

Prince Wilfred simply just sighed sharply, rubbing at his forehead stressfully. "Are you not just creating a huge mess for this poor woman to clean up?"

Prince Edward's eyes flickered to the floor despondently. "I can only imagine what sort of problems you have caused the lady..." He continued to worry about her, being the nice guy he was.

"She'll be fine." Prince Roberto reassured the other princes, brushing off their concern. "Halle is pretty tough. It's _me_ you guys should be worried about!" He looked to his friends for even the tiniest shred of sympathy being reflected in their eyes, and he immediately looked insulted when he found absolutely _none_.

Prince Glenn bitterly smiled to himself. "Well, whatever she does to you, I would say you had it coming." He shut his eyes as he leaned back into the couch, crossing his arms over his black and gold formal attire.

The princes were suddenly unable to discuss the topic for much longer, because they could hear a rush of footsteps and incoherent squabbling coming from behind the doors. Prince Roberto visibly flinched and tensed up as the doors were swung open with great force, and the six princes all watched in astonishment what was about to happen.

A fair-skinned woman with caramel hair and amber-brown eyes angrily marched into the room, dressed like some sort of prestiged businesswoman of some sort. She pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose as she eyed Prince Roberto.

"Halle, truly, I am sorry, I..." Alberto came rushing in the room behind the woman, apologizing on Prince Roberto's behalf in attempt to calm her down.

She immediately dismissed Alberto, too angry to think straight. "Robbie." Halle informally addressed Prince Roberto as she always did, crossing her arms angrily as she gave him her most malevolent glare.

Prince Roberto ran a hand through his brown hair with an awkward, _very_ nervous grin plastered on his face. "Ahaha...I forgot just how _terrifying_ you are when you're angry like that..." He instinctively took a hesitant step backwards. He would be lying if he said he wasn't just a little afraid for his life right now.

"Is there something you would like to tell me?" Halle instantly took notice of the five future kings in the room, immediately trying to behave herself as best as she possibly could, given her current situation.

It wasn't easy for a woman like herself to hold her tongue when it came down to it, but being friends with a prince like Prince Roberto for the past five years gave her a little practice. And he had given her a lot of bullshit to deal with that gave her lots and _lots_ of practice.

Prince Keith tried his best not to laugh at Prince Roberto's misfortune, while Princes Glenn, Wilfred, and Edward were completely stunned and caught off guard by just how genuinely _angry_ this woman was. Prince Joshua stared at this woman completely unimpressed as usual, already dreading this night. _This_ is who he was stuck with...? He was almost considering just attending tonight's ball _without_ an escort and suffering the consequences in order to avoid such an emotional woman...

Prince Roberto in all his fine glory squirmed uncomfortably at the sight of the angry woman two years younger than him, very uncomfortable with how close she was to him.

...she wouldn't punch him in front of all the guys, right?

"Err... I'm not sure what you're talking about?" He flashed her that cute, charming grin of his: that same grin that would make any woman melt from how enchanting it was.

Well, any woman except for Halle, of course, who was completely unaffected by all of the prince's charms since the day they first met. "Really?" Halle menacingly stepped closer to Prince Roberto, squaring her shoulders. "It's just that the _strangest_ thing happened to me at the airport today when I was on my way home from Charles, and I honestly had no idea what had transpired until _Albie_ showed up to take me to his limousine." Halle glanced back at Alberto behind her, who she had cleverly nicknamed "Albie" some odd number of years ago.

Alberto straightened his posture delicately, bowing out of respect to Halle. "Halle, I truly _am_ sorry. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know as well as I do just how _useless_ that is." He flashed Prince Roberto a glare, deeply disappointed with his master's behavior today.

Halle nodded decisively without turning to look at Alberto, holding her hand up to stop him. "Yes, I am aware. I am not angry with you, Albie."

Prince Roberto's voice got caught in his throat as he sucked in a breath, looking completely offended by that statement. "Hey! Why is everyone being so mean to me today...?"

Halle ignored him completely as she began to blow off a little steam. "Robbie, can you explain to me why when I tried to board my plane today, homeland security arrested me on the scene, confiscated _all_ of my belongings, and took me into an interrogation room where they then proceeded to ask me a series of questions relating to me being a _terrorist?"_ Halle placed her hands on her hips, stiffening her posture as she rose a single eyebrow at Prince Roberto.

"Uh..." Prince Roberto rose a finger as his single defense, pausing briefly. "This can all be explained, I promise!"

"Then _explain_." Halle's eyes only grew more angry as she narrowed them at the idiot prince before her. "Because of you, I am now under investigation, and I cannot leave the country unless I get a ride from someone because I'm now on homeland security's 'no fly' list!" She huffed in annoyance, more stressed out than anyone could _possibly_ imagine. "Do you have any idea how _bad_ this looks for me? I had to explain to my boss why I suddenly needed a few weeks off work to clear things up!"

Prince Glenn and Prince Keith had to bite their tongues to keep themselves from laughing out loud. It's not like they found this poor woman's situation amusing... (well, actually, Prince Keith did find it a _little_ funny) ...but seeing this petite little thing get so angry at Prince Roberto _and_ yell at him like that was...unordinary. Not just _anyone_ could talk to a prince like that.

Prince Edward and Prince Wilfred only appeared to look concerned for the woman after hearing her troubles, about to interject and say something, when...

Prince Joshua looked the woman up and down with that typical, bored look of displeasure on his face. " _This_ is the woman you spoke so highly of...?" That low, monotone voice of his reached Halle's ears, stabbing her heart like the fierce insult it was meant to be.

Prince Roberto tore his attention away from Halle to look at Prince Joshua in shock, too distracted by what he said to listen to Halle's yelling anymore. "Oh, actually, she doesn't normally look like this. I promise she _is_ a very attractive woman, Josh." He laughed absolutely carefree as he bragged about his friend who he was a little _too_ proud of, leaning on her shoulder with one of his arms. "I don't know why she looks so much like a lawyer today, though."

Halle flashed Prince Roberto a quick, hateful glare. "Maybe because I _am_ a lawyer...?"

Prince Roberto dismissed her bitter attitude and ignored her completely as he took a step back, looking over her appearance thoughtfully as he pressed a finger to his lips. "Hmm... This won't do. Here, let's try...this!"

All of the princes watched as Prince Roberto snatched Halle's glasses off of her face, and she quickly furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance. "Hey, give those back!"

"Why aren't you wearing your contacts?" Prince Roberto rose an eyebrow at her, holding her glasses up. "And don't pretend like you're blind. Your vision is nearly perfect."

Halle rolled her eyes. "I was in a rush to get to court this morning, so I just put my glasses on instead."

She reached for her glasses in Prince Roberto's hand, attempting to snatch them back when he playfully held them up high above his head and let her crash into him. Even in four inch heels, Halle was still _three inches_ shorter than Prince Roberto, who was one of the shortest of the six princes, even though he was five-foot ten-inches tall just like Prince Joshua and Prince Wilfred. Prince Keith beat all three by just one inch, while both Prince Glenn and Prince Edward were six feet tall.

It was because of guys like these that Halle had a height complex, and she wore heels as her everyday shoes.

Now with no distance between them, Halle rested one hand on Prince Roberto's chest and ignored how close their faces were as she reached up for her glasses once more. "What are we, five and six? Give me my glasses back!"

Prince Roberto took advantage of her being so close to him and not paying attention to what he was doing by reaching out for her cardigan and pulling it off of her, smirking a little to himself as her cute little cocktail dress was revealed. "And we'll have to get rid of this, too."

"Hey!" Halle protested as Prince Roberto spun her around and simultaneously pulled out the one hairpin holding up all of her hair, allowing it to tumble down her left shoulder. He spun her back around to face all of the princes, who all widened their eyes in shock at her breathtaking transformation. Even Prince _Joshua_ was thrown a little off balance. "Oooh, I'm dizzy now..." Halle clutched her head and she leaned against Prince Roberto, using him to keep her balance.

No glasses, no messy bun, and no boring cardigan. She was now just Halle: a beautiful woman in four inch heels, a teasing purple cocktail dress, and gorgeous brown hair that naturally curled around her neck and tumbled down shoulder. Her bangs were one big curl that blended in with her waterfall of hair, brushed neatly to the left side of her face.

"See, Josh?" Prince Roberto grinned happily at the arrogant prince, presenting Halle to him like a prized trophy. "Isn't she such a cutie?" He playfully pinched her cheeks, laughing at the annoyed look Halle was giving him.

"Pweez stahhp.." Halle tried to sound serious as she scolded him with her face being squished, her words almost sounding like gibberish.

Prince Roberto laughed as he let go of her. "Come on, Josh! She's perfect for you!" He stepped behind Halle and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking over at Prince Joshua. "She's cute, smart, funny, and respects the law just as much as you do! She's probably even better than the girl who cancelled on you!" Prince Roberto chuckled as he suddenly thrust Halle forwards, causing her to crash directly into Prince Joshua's chest.

Halle stared at the angry prince's face in immediate horror, pulling herself from him instantly. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Her eyes quickly flickered to the floor, tearing themselves away from his sharp, deep purple ones.

Prince Joshua glared at her before tearing his gaze away, uninterested in this woman completely. "Watch where you are going." He dusted off his white suit with his gloved hands, almost a little disgusted that she bumped into him. He didn't even acknowledge the fact that she didn't do anything wrong, and it was solely Prince Roberto's fault that they collided.

Halle blinked back her immediate surprise at Prince Joshua's rudeness, turning to face Prince Roberto with a judgmental look on her face. "Charming, isn't he?"

Jan almost snorted at Halle's quip, but as soon as he caught sight of the angry glare Prince Joshua was giving him, he quickly bit down on his tongue to prevent himself from slipping up and laughing at his master.

"You should think twice about how you speak to me." Prince Joshua leveled his gaze with the inferior woman, irritated to the bone with her behavior. "I am the crown Prince of Dres Van, and I expect you to treat me as such."

Halle scoffed as she crossed her arms, unable to hold her tongue this time. "And I expect you to treat a woman you just met with kindness, but then again, I suppose we all want unrealistic things."

Prince Keith and Prince Glenn just lost it at that point, unable to keep a straight face anymore after seeing the look on Prince Joshua's face. Prince Joshua almost looked... _startled_. But that look of shock quickly melted into anger.

"Why, you..." Prince Joshua stepped closer to the woman, whatever her name was, completely prepared to yell at her for her unacceptable behavior towards a member of the royal family.

"Oh-kay! Let's all calm down here!" Prince Roberto grabbed Halle's arms and pulled her over towards the couches the princes were sitting on, setting her down between Prince Wilfred and Prince Edward. "Halle, I need you to tone it down a notch." He stared into her eyes seriously, giving her a warning.

The stubborn woman let out one long, deep sigh. "Sorry... I guess I'm just a little irritated." She rubbed at her temples stressfully, trying to regain her bearings.

"Are you alright?" Prince Edward looked over Halle worriedly; a genuine look of concern was written on his face.

"I'll be fine." Halle smiled softly at the friendly face, grateful at least _one_ of these princes were tolerable. "Thank you for your concern."

"Are you sure?" Prince Wilfred seemed just as concerned as Prince Edward, although he came off as a little more collected, and a tiny bit calmer. "If there is something we can do for you, please let us know."

"Oh no, thank you." Halle politely declined Prince Wilfred's offer with an awkward smile on her face, feeling a little flustered by all of these princes doting on her. It certainly wasn't something she was used to. "I could not possibly impose any further."

"Your aspirin, my lady." Alberto suddenly appeared beside her with an aspirin and a cup of water, handing them to her carefully.

"Thank you, Albie." Halle hastily took the medicine from him, immediately noticing the look Prince Glenn was giving her.

"Do you have a headache?" Prince Glenn pointed to the aspirin, which he thought her having it was a little weird, considering he didn't even hear her ask for it.

"No." Halle glared at nothing in particular as she gritted her teeth, then quickly flickered her gaze over to Prince Roberto. "...but I feel like I'm _about_ to get one." She quickly popped the aspirin into her mouth and downed the whole glass of water, seemingly unaffected by Prince Glenn's laughter that immediately followed her sarcastic remark. "Alright, hit me with it. What's going on?"

"Huh?" Prince Roberto blinked back his shock as he stared at Halle, a little confused.

"What did you want from me?" Halle stood up from the couch, crossing her arms. "You didn't do all of this just to torture me. You did this to get me here because you need to ask me for a favor that I won't necessarily want to do. Is that correct?" She rose an eyebrow, waiting patiently for him to answer her.

"Wow. Hit the nail right on the head." Prince Roberto chuckled awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "So, you see... Josh's date cancelled last minute for tonight's party, and he doesn't have anyone else that could fill in for him."

"...so you want _me_ to fill in as Prince Joshua's escort?" Halle blinked a few times and pointed to herself as she began to process this, and once she did, she plastered an obviously fake grin on her face. "Oh wow, how could I refuse? After all, it's every girl's dream to go to a ball with a _prince!"_ She had stars for eyes as she clapped her hands together, looking off to the side in a daze.

"Exactly!" Prince Roberto seemed relieved that she was on board, feeling a little less guilty about today now. "So you'll do it?"

Halle's smile dropped from her face so fast you could have sworn it had been slapped off. "No." She picked up her cardigan and glasses, then immediately walked towards the front door. "I'm leaving."

"Wha...Halle!" Prince Roberto grabbed her arm and pulled her back, preventing her from leaving. "Wait!"

"Ouch." Prince Glenn chuckled to himself, highly amused by the feisty woman's sarcasm. "I think you just got rejected, Prince Joshua."

Prince Joshua just stared at the woman with his jaw agape, completely stunned by her refusal. He didn't want to go with her, that much was obvious, but _she_ didn't want to go with _him?_ Surely this was some sort of mistake, right...?

Halle froze in place as her walls seemed to come down, and her voice lowered considerably. "I... I didn't mean it like that..." She met Prince Joshua's gaze apologetically, feeling a little guilty for how wrong those words came out. "It's just..." Halle ran her fingers through her hair, glancing over at Prince Roberto. "I _hate_ parties... I always feel so out of place. _You_ know that." She stared into Prince Roberto's brown eyes fiercely, although she didn't look angry. She looked almost...hollow inside. Maybe even a little sad. "And besides..." She rubbed her arm as she flickered her gaze to the floor, turning away from Prince Roberto. "I would make _terrible_ company..."

"What? No you wouldn't!" Prince Roberto quickly ran to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders from behind her. "Come on, Halle! You're funny, sarcastic, and you can dance really well! Honestly, I'm jealous you're not _my_ date." He spoke honestly as he always did, just making Halle roll her eyes.

"Robbie..." Halle didn't know how to accept his compliment, standing there completely flustered and awkward. "You are still forgetting to acknowledge the fact that I am blunt, pessimistic, anti-social, and all I ever do at parties anyways is avoid conversation and just drink quietly to myself."

"Well that's all Josh does, anyways." Prince Roberto shrugged his shoulders, swinging one arm over Prince Joshua casually. "Right, Josh?"

"Get off of me." Prince Joshua shrugged off Prince Roberto's arm in disgust. "And yes, I do not particularly care for parties or socializing, but..." He looked over at Halle with an uncharacteristic look of honesty in his eyes, unsure of what to say to her. It's not like he could turn her down. "I..."

"May I remind you that you do not have a choice?" Prince Wilfred butted in, looking over at Prince Joshua with a bored look on his face. They were already wasting too much time as it is.

"He is right." Prince Edward agreed, nodding his head. "I hate to say it, but whether you like it or not, Miss Halle here is your only choice. It is either her, or no one at all; there is no time to find someone else."

Halle felt oddly pressured by all of this, and she felt the need to sit down. "I... I don't know..."

Prince Roberto was starting to get frustrated that he just couldn't seem to convince her, and he immediately went to his last resort. "Halle Mitchell, I hereby order you to attend this party by orders of the crown prince of Altaria himself!" He proudly puffed up his chest, pointing a finger at her.

Halle rose an eyebrow at him as she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. "You can't do that."

Prince Roberto had what looked similar to the crushed look of a child being scolded by a parent for making an illegal move in a board game on his face. "What? Why not?"

"We are in Nobel Michel, _not_ Altaria." Halle crossed her arms as she confidently strode right up to Prince Roberto, looking directly up at his face as she relayed the loophole she found in his order. "This is a sacred ground shared equally by the six kingdoms. Altaria law is _void_ here."

Prince Roberto looked completely dejected as his shoulders slumped. "Why do I even _try_ to argue with a lawyer...?"

Halle chuckled adorably at his white flag of surrender, which she then followed up with a confident smirk. "Because you simply cannot help but _try."_

Prince Roberto pouted at Halle's mean remark, although he was used to this sort of abuse from both her and his butler by now. "Jheeze... So are you going to do me this favor, or what?"

Halle sighed as she looked over at Prince Joshua, ultimately leaving the decision up to him. "If Prince Joshua does not mind being stuck with me as his company for the night, then I _suppose_ I could oblige..."

Prince Joshua turned his chin up and away from her, completely disinterested. "I have no other choice but to put up with your _barely_ tolerable presence. Be ready within the hour." He dismissed her completely as he walked right past her, leaving through the doors. "Come, Jan. We are going."

"Yes, your Highness." Jan obediently followed behind his master, flashing an apologetic smile to Halle before he shut the door.

Halle drew her head back in shock, then quickly bit down on her tongue in order to hold in her words. " _Fantastic_. Looking forward to it..." She exhaled sharply as her sarcasm dripped off her tongue like venom from a poisonous snake.

This couldn't _possibly_ go wrong.

* * *

 **Yeesh, I'm tired after writing all of this x-x juggling this many characters in a book is not easy... I tried to make everybody be present in this scene equally as best as I could, but some of the princes and the butlers were pretty quiet and just didn't have too much to say. Sorry about that, I'm trying to get used to writing with a bunch of characters again; I promise I'll get better with it as we get further into the story.**

 **Anyways...**

 **XD I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter, and getting to know my main character a little better. She's a bit feisty, isn't she? And anyone who's played Joshua's story knows that those personalities don't mix with him very well.**

 **Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **Read, please review, and enjoy ^-^**


	4. Chapter 4

Halle was tough; hard as nails, even. But after the day she had, her reaction to the stress of it all was perfectly understandable.

She looked around the regal, unfamiliar bedroom she had been dropped off in by Jan, staring at all of the exquisite furniture with tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She was still dressed in the evening gown Prince Roberto had procured for her this evening, and with no belongings on her person whatsoever thanks to the little airport incident earlier today, she realized she was in a situation similar to that of being stranded alone on a deserted island with absolutely no means of escape.

She had won her case today, and then was arrested at the airport when all she wanted to do was go home. Her purse and phone were both confiscated, and any lawyer knows losing your phone is the worst thing that can happen to you, because that little rectangular object controls both your life and your schedule. Then, Alberto had shown up and whisked her away to Nobel Michel Castle, where Halle had then proceeded to scold Prince Roberto for landing her on homeland security's "no fly" list for God only knows how long. And then somehow she had been talked into being Prince Joshua's date for the evening, which seemed to be going well at first, until...

She couldn't forget what horrible things he had said to her just moments ago. She was a tough cookie, but _any_ woman being spoken to so horribly by such a bitter, rather frightening man would be hurt by such cruel words. Halle may seem distant and shallow at first glance, but honestly? She was the kindest person you would ever meet, and you wouldn't find any woman with a heart bigger than hers. So being yelled at and berated by Prince Joshua earlier took its toll on her kind soul.

It wasn't _her_ fault that she had illegally entered his kingdom unintentionally and was now stuck living here at Dres Van Manor until this all got sorted out in the next week or so!

Well...it sort of _was_ her fault, but...that was beside the point!

The twenty-three-year-old let the stress of today finally overpower her, and as the heavy weight sitting on her shoulders seemed to push them down, she threw herself onto the large queen-sized bed. She buried her face into one of the pillows as she sobbed as loudly as her aching lungs would allow her to, hesitantly recalling just how everything had managed to go oh so horribly wrong just a few hours before.

* * *

Four hours earlier...

 _Nothing_ impressed Prince Joshua. He was a very uptight, serious man who was often referred to as a stick-in-the-mud by none other than Prince Roberto, and he didn't particularly care about women at all.

But wow, did she look _impressive_ in that dress.

Prince Joshua looked stunned as he watched the smiling woman before him descend down the stairs in that glittering, floor-length, champagne-colored dress that had a plunging gap in the back that came down to her hips. The front of the dress wrapped around her neck, and a slit in the right side of her dress came up to her thigh, revealing more of her pale skin. Halle's caramel hair was twisted up into an intricate up-do, but her bangs and a single strand of her curled hair were left out to frame her face. She wore a pair of platform pumps the same color of her dress that rose her height by five inches, and a pair of glittering earrings adorned her ears as well as a diamond necklace around her neck.

"Hello..." Halle awkwardly greeted Prince Joshua at the bottom of the stairs, shooting him a fleeting glance. She felt super awkward being a prince's date, and dressed like _this_ , no less. Halle didn't even know she could _look_ like this.

Prince Joshua looked away suddenly as if he had suddenly found something very interesting on the floor to stare at. "H-hello." He awkwardly cleared his throat, almost unable to form a response.

An all-knowing smirk slowly crept onto Jan's face as he watched Prince Joshua's failed attempt at a greeting, and he quickly stepped up to the two. "Your Highness, perhaps we should get going?"

"Uh..." Prince Joshua rose his chin to look at Jan, suddenly pulled from the minor trance he was in. "Yes, of course. Miss Halle, was it?" He pretended that her name slipped his mind as he extended his arm to her, ushering her to take it. "Please allow me to escort you into the ballroom."

Halle wasn't stupid; she understood fully well that Prince Joshua was _very_ uncomfortable being her date for the evening, so she recalled Prince Roberto's advice from earlier as she looped her arm around Prince Joshua's and allowed the Dres Van prince to escort her to the ball.

 _"Oh yeah, just a tip, Hal'..."_

 _"Robbie, for the thousandth time, don't call me that!"_

 _"Sorry, sorry! Anyways... A word to the wise? Go easy on Josh. He's not really great with women, so try to play nice."_

 _"I will make no such promises."_

 _"Halle...!"_

 _"Okay, okay! I'll behave myself..."_

She bitterly smiled to herself as she recalled their conversation that had transpired just shortly before she left to meet up with Prince Joshua. Hah...as if _she_ was the one who needed to be told to behave themselves. She knew her place, unlike a certain caramel-haired prince she knew...

As the doors were opened and Prince Joshua led her inside, any ordinary, "common" woman such as herself would have been blown away by the ballroom.

It was a large, spacious room with white and gold walls, and golden tiles covered the entire floor. Two large, spiral staircases were located towards the back, leading up to the second floor of the ballroom. Little round tables decorated with white tablecloths framed the edges of the room, and the surrounding walls were accented by large windows that showed the outside balcony.

Any "common" woman would have been blown away, unless you were Halle.

This was nothing she wasn't already used to. She had been friends with Prince Roberto for _five years_ now, and more often than not, he had forcibly kidnapped her and taken her to these parties as his date. Initially, she had no idea what to expect when he took her to her first party, but Halle quickly determined that she disliked them very much.

She was not happy about being here right now, but she figured it was smart to make the best of things as much as she possibly could. Being surrounded by a bunch of royals and noblemen who looked down on her just because she was a commoner? Yeah, Halle preferred to pass on that.

Sure, it was a big, glamorous party that she could get all dressed up for, and be accompanied by a prince no less, but...

Halle was no Cinderella; she was a _lawyer_. She preferred spending her Friday nights at the office working overtime on her cases opposed to Prince Roberto's reckless escapades including lots of drinking and partying every week.

They were just so different, and somehow they became friends one day.

Somehow.

Yeah... How did that happen again? Oh, right... It was _that_ day...

"...are you alright?" Prince Joshua stopped in front of Halle, towering over her slightly even in her five inch heels. He glared at her a little in order to cover up his trace amount of concern for her well-being.

"Oh, sorry." Halle sheepishly grinned up at the prince, running a hand through her hair awkwardly. "I guess I just spaced out there for a little bit."

Prince Joshua gave her the _weirdest_ look ever, unaccustomed to such behavior coming from a woman, or _anyone_ really. "All right... If you say so."

Jan had already disappeared and run off somewhere; probably to assist the other prince's butlers in assuring that the party ran smoothly. Halle's eyes traced over the several couples dancing around the ballroom, smiling and laughing at each other without a care in the world as the gentle music hummed throughout the hall.

"So..." Halle was at a loss for words as she rubbed her arm, _very_ uncomfortable in this situation. This is why she didn't want to come in the first place, damn it all! "...would you like to dance?" She threw the question out there, wondering what she was even supposed to _do_ with Prince Joshua here tonight.

It's not like she had taken a crash course on how to be a prince's escort for an evening... Whenever she was with Prince Roberto, it was easy. She didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing, since he was so casual and actually asked her to not address him as "Prince Roberto" when they first met, since he thought it was ridiculous. They always had so much fun together, even though he could be an idiot sometimes. When it came down to it, Halle did, in fact, enjoy having Prince Roberto as her friend.

But alas, Prince Joshua was another story. He was _nothing_ like Prince Roberto, and since they were not very well acquainted with each other, it took all of Halle's willpower to restrain her overwhelming personality and act like a proper lady for once.

Well, at least she tried to, to the best of her abilities.

The bitter Prince Joshua visibly sighed at Halle's invitation to dance, slumping his stiff posture ever so slightly. "I suppose... I _am_ expected to dance at least once tonight."

Halle cracked a slight grin at his reluctance, a little amused by his response. "Not much of a dancer, are you?" She took a chance and relaxed her tone a little, letting her playful nature surface.

"I _can_ dance." Prince Joshua quickly reassured her as his eyebrows knitted together, and he glared at her slightly. "I just do not particularly care to indulge in such an... _activity."_

Halle genuinely giggled at his firm response, amused with how stubborn he was being. Prince Joshua just stood there stunned as he watched that natural, cute smile of hers stretch across her face. She suddenly seemed less tense and was more at ease than she was before.

"I never assumed you couldn't." She took his hand and began leading him out onto the dance floor, despite the grumpy prince's verbal protests. "Come on!"

"I would rather not..." Prince Joshua reluctantly followed her out onto the dance floor, mentally cursing himself for allowing this tiny woman to push him around.

"You said it yourself: you _are_ expected to dance at least once." She stopped and whirled around, placing one hand on his shoulder as she got into a dancing position. "So, Prince Joshua... Why not drop the frown for five minutes and just dance with me?" Her taunting smirk only made a vein bulge from his forehead, causing her to laugh at him, which was something he was not used to. "Oh, come on. It won't kill you."

Prince Joshua's arrogance quickly took over as he grabbed one of her hands and rested his free hand on her waist, pulling her into him as he looked down on her scornfully. "Try to keep up. It would be rather embarrassing for me if you proved to be a useless dance partner after all."

Halle laughed adorably as Prince Joshua began moving to the tune of the mellow music, spinning her around occasionally. She fell into step with him quite naturally, and the two seemed like a good fit to anyone around them.

At least Prince Roberto had done _something_ right: he had found him a date for tonight that could actually dance. Even if she _was_ on the intolerable side of things.

Across the ballroom, over by the table covered with bottles of wine from the various kingdoms, Prince Edward onlooked the sight of Prince Joshua and Halle dancing together with a wistful smile on his face.

"Well, would you look at that." He rose his glass to his lips as his eyes crinkled slightly from the smile on his face. "They have only been here five minutes and she has already got Joshua dancing."

"Prince Joshua is _dancing_...?" Prince Wilfred looked across the floor in astonishment, and his eyes naturally widened when he caught sight of Prince Joshua.

Prince Roberto looked up from his glass of wine in shock, and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline when he saw Halle actually laughing and dancing with the grumpy prince.

She was _laughing_. At a _party_. With Prince _Joshua_.

There was nothing normal about any of this whatsoever.

"I wonder what they are talking about...?" Prince Edward voiced all of their shared thoughts out loud, watching the friendly exchange between Halle and Prince Joshua from across the hall.

They were conversing civilly with one another alright, but the topic was not exactly what you would consider...normal.

"You seemed to be quite well acquainted with him, and I find myself curious as to where you are from." Prince Joshua reluctantly held the conversation his dance partner had struck up just a moment before; he would be lying if he said this woman didn't intrigue him at least a little.

Halle stared at Prince Joshua quickly. "Who, Robbie?"

"Yes; Prince Roberto." Prince Joshua answered firmly, raising an eyebrow to the way she informally talked about Prince Roberto. She kind of reminded him of the man in question because of the little things like that she did.

Halle bitterly smiled as a dark shadow seemed to haze over her eyes, and Prince Joshua would be lying to himself if he didn't agree it was an amusing thing to see. "Yes... I guess you could say I met him by chance about five years ago, and he's stuck around ever since."

Prince Joshua hummed a tiny response as he smiled suspiciously at the silly look on her face. Five years? Prince Roberto had known her for five _years_ and this is the first he had heard of this woman?

"You forgot to answer my question." Prince Joshua smirked at her in amusement, leading the dance the two were engaging in together. "Where are you from?"

"Where am I from...?" Halle quirked a suspicious eyebrow at his question, unsure of the meaning. Was he asking about where she lived, or her pedigree?

"Yes. Are you by chance of royal blood?" He leaned a little closer to observe her reaction, and he could have _sworn_ he saw her wince slightly at the inclination. "...or perhaps the daughter of a nobleman?"

Halle didn't want him getting the wrong idea, but she wasn't sure if she should just flat out tell him she was a commoner, either. She stayed silent as she stared at Prince Joshua's face, trying to think of something to say to him and coming up with absolutely nothing.

Instead of being discouraged by her silence, Prince Joshua's eyes brightened. "I am afraid that your hiding behind such affectations has only fed my curiosity." His lips curled up into a smile as he bent down to look up at Halle's face that was currently turned down to the floor. "I beg you to tell me to which house you belong." The more time he spent with her, the more he was starting to enjoy her company.

Halle looked away from him with a taunting grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "Perhaps you will never know," she uttered under her breath quiet enough for him to hear her, feeling her confidence rebuilding itself.

"What are you doing questioning her like that, Josh?"

Prince Joshua immediately stopped dancing as he wheeled around, surprised to see that Prince Roberto had just marched right up to him. "I was merely wondering whether she is from a noble house or not."

Prince Roberto crossed his arms as he silently judged Prince Joshua, getting a little defensive on Halle's behalf. "I don't think it's normal to select a dance partner based on their social status."

Prince Joshua's eyebrows twitched in response to these vexingly spoken words. "Then I suppose you are of the opinion that I am not normal."

Halle's eyes darted between the two princes worriedly, thinking to herself that this tension did _not_ look good. She had the impression trouble was brewing, and she spoke quickly. "Robbie, it was just a simple question. Please let it go."

Prince Roberto dropped the tough act and immediately stuck out his bottom lip to pout. "But, Halle...!"

Prince Roberto knew the truth that she was just a commoner, and he wasn't too happy that his attempt at sweeping in to save her wasn't welcomed with open arms.

"It's fine." She smiled kindly at Prince Roberto, dismissing his concern. "Is it not natural for one to be a little curious about their dance partner for the evening...?" She pitched her question to Prince Roberto, looking at him with a sly smile on her face.

"I guess..." Prince Roberto seemed to exhale sharply as he looked a little dejected.

Halle chuckled lightly as she patted Prince Roberto's arm. "Don't worry about me so much, Robbie."

He bitterly half-smiled at her as he rose an eyebrow. "Well that's kinda hard, since you're always getting yourself into trouble."

" _Me?_ Dear Robbie, I think you have our roles switched." Halle took immediate offense to that and scoffed as Prince Joshua looked at her quickly. "And besides, whenever I _do_ get into trouble, it's almost _always_ your fault."

Now it was Prince Roberto's turn to scoff and take offense. "What? That's not true!"

"Oh, the airport incident today was my fault, then?" Halle rolled her eyes as she flickered her gaze over to him. "And how many times have I had to get _you_ out of legal trouble for reckless things such as drag racing, or crashing your car?"

Prince Roberto stared at her awkwardly for a brief moment, and then he quickly dismissed himself from Halle and Prince Joshua as he felt his cheeks color slightly red. "Oh, do excuse me. I have people I have yet to greet..." He made up the first excuse that came to mind as he quickly ran away.

Halle giggled at Prince Roberto's silly behavior, but she quickly stopped when she found that her body was suddenly turned to face the person that had spun her back around: Prince Joshua.

"What was _that_ about?" He stared at her curiously, trying to find the answers in her eyes as they resumed dancing together once more.

Halle smiled brightly at Prince Joshua, not actually having a bad time at a party for once. "Oh, nothing. I wouldn't think much of it." She knew Prince Roberto was a little overprotective of her, but she wasn't about to go explaining _that_ to Prince Joshua.

The corner of Prince Joshua's mouth curled up into a wry smile as he stared at this... _eccentric_ woman. Perhaps he misjudged her at first? She wasn't so bad the more time you spent with her.

Funny this is, she was thinking the same thing about him.

Before either of them had known it, time had passed _very_ quickly. They had been dancing together for what started out as five minutes, and then quickly progressed to half an hour. Pretty soon, the two of them had been talking for an _hour_ nonstop, dancing song after song on the dance floor, which was _highly_ unusual for Prince Joshua. Neither of them even noticed how quickly time was flying by as they were talking to one another.

"So, you are a lawyer?" Prince Joshua tried to keep the conversation going, a little interested to find out more about this witty woman. "I heard you mention it earlier this evening."

"Yes, I am." She stared at him curiously, trying to figure out his angle on obtaining this information about her. "I'm a member of the Altaria state bar back home..." She grew a little wary as he continued to question her. Too many questions might give him the wrong idea, or maybe even get Prince Roberto into trouble.

"Oh, so you are an Altarian?" Prince Joshua's eyes widened slightly, only a little surprised. It made sense that she was from Prince Roberto's country, but for whatever reason, it just didn't come to his mind.

"Yes...? I thought you knew that." Halle blinked a few times, but she was quick to plaster a sheepish smile on her face. "I'm sorry, I probably should have explained that earlier. That's how I know Robbie."

 _Ah, yes. Prince Roberto again_ , Joshua thought to himself as he quickly hid it behind his dark eyes. "He said you have known him for five years. Is that true? I have never heard of you until tonight." Prince Joshua bluntly spoke his opinion, not noticing Halle wince slightly at his unintentional rude statement.

"Ah, yes..." She tried not to take offense to what Prince Joshua had said, figuring he was just like her when it came down to being blunt and was the type to just state the facts. It made sense that Prince Roberto had never mentioned her to the other princes before, but it still hurt a little. "Yes, we have been friends for nearly five years now. I met him when I was just eighteen."

"How did you meet?" Prince Joshua was a little curious, actually.

How _did_ Prince Roberto meet such a woman? She didn't seem to be open to putting up with his nonsense from what he had observed so far, so there must be _some_ reason she stuck around the airhead that was Prince Roberto. Perhaps it was because of legal trouble, like she had mentioned earlier...?

Prince Joshua became a little alarmed when he saw that Halle's face visibly fell, and all she managed to say was, "oh." She quickly dropped her hands down to her side and let go of Prince Joshua, and they stopped dancing. "I...suppose I had met him just shortly after my mother died."

Prince Joshua could clearly tell something was wrong judging by her sudden shift in attitude and the distant look on her face. She seemed to grow quiet and a little...sad. Her eyes darkened unnaturally, and she seemed a little more jumpy and she shifted her weight over to her other leg.

"I..." Halle motioned to say something, but the loud gong if a clock striking ten suddenly reached her ears, alarming her. She turned her head to look at the clock, and utter panic began to pulse through her veins.

She couldn't let him keep asking more questions, because if he found out the truth, then...

"I should go!" Halle quickly spun on her heel and began to run away from Prince Joshua in her high heels, pushing and shoving her way through the crowd.

Prince Joshua's eyes widened in complete shock, not expecting her to just suddenly run away from him like this. "Wait! I was hoping to talk with you some more!"

Halle was running so fast that she couldn't really tell where she was going, and she came to an immediate halt when she slammed face-first into someone's chest.

"Ooof! What the...Halle?" Prince Roberto stared down at his friend in shock, confused as to why she looked so upset all of a sudden. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Halle took a deep breath, trying to get a hold of herself. "Robbie, bringing me here tonight was a _bad_ idea... It poses too many questions..."

"I found her, your Highness! There she is over there!"

Halle blinked back her surprise when she saw Prince Joshua's butler pushing his way through the crowd to get to her as well, and her eyes widened when she realized there was no escape now. She saw Prince Joshua in the distance, heading over towards herself and Prince Roberto where they stood in the hall.

"What's going on? Why is Jan here too...?" Prince Roberto looked back and forth between Halle and Jan, very confused. "Did something happen with Prince Joshua?"

A bitter look found its way to Halle's face when Prince Roberto asked that question, and even though she didn't give him a proper answer, he knew that something had indeed happened.

Jan turned to Halle with a delicate smile, and he stood at attention with one hand placed graciously over his chest. "Please forgive me for not properly introducing myself to you earlier. My name is Jan; I serve as butler to His Highness, Prince Joshua." He bowed to her slightly to show respect. "I am pleased to inform you that His Highness has invited you to come and visit our kingdom."

Halle just stared at Jan unbelievably. Of all things that could have come out of the butler's mouth, _that_ was most certainly at the bottom of her list of expectations. "He, I... _what?"_

Prince Roberto's eyes opened wide in surprise. "He's actually inviting a _woman_ to Dres Van Manor?" Halle turned to look at him, and he looked back with a puzzled, yet worried expression on his face. "He has a reputation for disliking women... I could understand it if you were from a well-known family, but..."

Just after he finished whispering those words to her, Prince Joshua came before them. "Miss Halle, please allow me to apologize for my rudeness earlier..." His eyes quickly fell on her, hoping he could redeem himself for interrogating her a little too much. "Allow me to express my apologies with an invitation to visit us in Dres Van. I hope you will accept." He only seemed to notice Prince Roberto's presence after he was done listening to himself talk, and he widened his eyes and opened his mouth slightly to speak. "Oh, Prince Roberto. I didn't see you there."

"I'm sure you didn't..." Prince Roberto's face visibly fell as he addressed Prince Joshua. "But this is a strange step for you... I wouldn't have expected you to invite a girl like Halle to visit."

Prince Joshua's expression wavered slightly. "R-really?" Was his invitation really _that_ strange? "All I want is for people from other kingdoms to know more about Dres Van." His words were forced, but Prince Roberto seemed to accept this reason as he nodded.

"I see..." His lips curled back up into that typical smile of his. "Well, it couldn't hurt once in awhile." He placed a hand to Halle's back as he spoke. "I shall come along too! I can't exactly have you steal my best friend for who knows how long, can I?" He leaned in closer to Prince Joshua with a teasing look on his face.

Prince Joshua's hard exterior seemed to shatter as he looked genuinely shocked at Prince Roberto. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just as it sounds." Prince Roberto's expression didn't change as he calmly refused to explain any further, being _intensely_ passive aggressive as he kept his hand on Halle's back.

Halle quirked an eyebrow at all of this, suddenly tuned back into the conversation. "Wait, I can't just go to a foreign country on a whim!"

"Why not?" Prince Roberto stared at her quizzically before he patted her on the back hard with a grin stretching from ear to ear. "You did say you took a couple weeks off work to clear things up with your flying situation, didn't you?" Halle's thoughts were in turmoil as Prince Roberto was smiling amusedly. "And is there some reason I _shouldn't_ go...?" He turned his focus back to Prince Joshua.

Prince Joshua frowned as he gave a soft sigh. "All right, you should come as well."

"B-but I..." Halle rose her pointer finger up to protest, but she was silenced by Prince Joshua's unnervingly kind smile.

"I am ashamed of myself as a prince to have been rude to a lady from another kingdom." His usually sharp face was stretched into a soft, smiling expression as he outstretched his hand to Halle. "Please allow me to make it up to you."

...was this the same Prince Joshua she had been talking to all night?

"Th-that's..." The overly-confident woman was at an unusual loss for words, unable to form a proper response.

It was really hard to say no when he put it like _that_...

* * *

"Umm..." Halle tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, staring at the floor of the limousine's interior. "Are you _sure_ this is alright?"

She was sitting in a limousine used by the royal family of Dres Van, traveling with Prince Joshua and Jan in their car while Prince Roberto followed behind in his. Just like how she had been dragged into going to the party, she had somehow been dragged into coming home with Prince Joshua to visit his kingdom.

"Of course." Prince Joshua's smile was so obviously fake that Halle fell silent. She got the impression that he _wasn't_ being very honest.

Jan was next to speak with that irreplaceable grin on his face. "It's no trouble at all. Please relax and think of this as a vacation."

Just then, Halle heard the sound of a loud gong reverberating throughout the city, echoing throughout the quiet night sky.

Jan turned to Prince Joshua immediately. "Your Highness, I believe that was the midnight bell."

Prince Joshua nodded unconcerned in return. "Yes, it is."

"Is it all right for Miss Halle to have arrived before midnight?" Jan quietly asked him before shooting Halle a quick glance of concern.

Halle blinked questionably at the two men. "Is there a problem with me arriving now...?"

Jan saw the look on her face and quickly moved to explain. "When entering Dres Van, all immigration paperwork must be completed before midnight on the day of arrival. To not do so is considered a criminal offense."

Halle's eyebrows immediately shot up into her hairline. "Isn't that a problem, then...!?"

Prince Joshua was calm as he looked at her with a delicate smile on his face. "It won't be an issue. She is a lady of noble status, after all."

Halle's eyes widened as she stared back at Prince Joshua. Was he serious!?

She was completely stunned as she heard Jan's voice echo throughout the car. "Really!?" He quickly sighed in relief. "Please excuse my rudeness." His bright smile lit up the darkness of the limousine. "In that case, everything will be fine."

"I wouldn't have brought her along at this time of night otherwise." Prince Joshua arrogantly looked over at his butler with a smirk on his face, making it clear that he knew _exactly_ what he was doing.

"Of course not. My apologies." Jan quickly apologized, then listened avidly as Prince Joshua opened his mouth to speak once more.

"And according to the law changes that came into effect last _week_..." Prince Joshua continued to converse with his butler, not noticing the intense look of shock on Halle's face. "A member of the general public cannot enter the kingdom after ten o'clock at night."

"Oh, really?" Jan listened carefully, enjoying the fact that he was learning something new.

Halle heard the anxiety in her own voice as she spoke. "E-excuse me...!" She quickly rose her voice as she snapped out of it, drawing the attention of the two boys to her shocked face.

"It is different for those of royal blood or are associated with the sacred grounds, so this law will not pose a problem for yourself or Prince Roberto." Jan reassuringly smiled at her in attempt to calm her nerves.

Halle looked behind her out the back window of the limousine, noticing a large gate being closed behind Prince Roberto's car. The gate was on the border to Dres Van, and they were now inside it. That loud gong of the midnight bell echoed through her ears as it unknowingly sealed her fate.

"But I am not of noble blood!" Halle finally was able to force the words out of her throat, panicking thoroughly. "I am not someone associated with the sacred grounds either!"

Prince Joshua frowned as that statement reached his ears. "What do you mean!? You said you were of noble blood, right?"

"I never said that!" Halle spoke bluntly as she shook her head back and forth, staring at Prince Joshua unbelievably.

Prince Joshua scowled menacingly at her. "You didn't deny it, either!"

Halle's tone of voice wavered as she realized he had a point. She bowed her head shamefully. "I...sorry, I didn't get the chance to explain..."

Prince Joshua's brow knitted together. "Didn't get the chance?" He scoffed as he spat those words back out at her. "More like you thought you would see how far pretending to be a woman of noble blood would get you!"

Halle drew her head back in shock as she thought how that was such a cruel thing to say. Her eyes were so wide that they were the only feature of her face that were clearly illuminated in the darkness of the car.

Jan dropped his jaw as he seemed to pick up on what she was feeling, and he quickly cut in. "I believe we should think about what we should do next..." He traced his gaze over to Prince Joshua. "What does Your Highness propose we do about her?"

Prince Joshua sighed visibly at Jan's question, slumping his previously tense shoulders. "She will need to reside within Dres Van for awhile."

Halle didn't give him the opportunity to continue as she cut in. "What do you mean?"

Prince Joshua looked over at her with an icy-cold stare as he responded to her question without feeling. "You have just entered the kingdom illegally." Halle lost all ability to speak as Prince Joshua's words reached her ears, and he continued to assail her with his strong words. "You will need to apply for special dispensation before you can leave the kingdom again."

Halle posed her question innocently. "Would I be able to do that tomorrow?"

Prince Joshua's frown only deepened at her utterly _ridiculous_ request. "It's not that easy. It will take at least a week to ten days to get this sorted out."

"So..." Her lip quivered as she struggled to form this thought out loud.

"So as of this moment, you are unable to leave this kingdom!" Prince Joshua snapped at her, annoyed with her stammering. Halle felt a sharp pain in her chest as Prince Joshua made a sour face at her. "There's no point in making a fuss about it now. We have enough trouble to deal with." He sighed deeply as he stared out the window.

First, she was forced to come, and now she couldn't _leave!?_ She should have said something earlier...

A feeling of regret washed over her as she looked toward Prince Joshua's profile, and as these thoughts flooded her mind, her confidence shattered, and she stared down towards the floor. They were getting along perfectly fine earlier, but as soon as he learned she was "just a commoner," Prince Joshua wanted _nothing_ to do with her. And now she was stuck in a strange, unfamiliar country for the next _week_.

...

Fantastic.

* * *

 **Phew! This took awhile to write... Sorry to keep you waiting, guys! XD for those of you who have been avidly reading this and are always looking forwards to an update, sorry this one took me a little long. I had to work out think kinks in the plot development, and I'll admit I was a little stumped on how I wanted this chapter to go down.**

 **I bet this one posed a lot of questions for you guys, huh? Like, how the _hell_ do Prince Roberto and Halle know each other, and why is our petite lawyer being so secretive about it? Why is Prince Joshua so awkward and serious at the same time? And how the heck does he go from respecting her one minute to not even wanting to _look_ at her the next as soon as he found out she was a just commoner?**

 **It will all be revealed in due time~**

 **Anyways... I'll go ahead and just close this author's note with: read, review, and enjoy! :)**

 **I hope you guys like my story ^-^ please leave me lots of reviews and feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning, Miss Halle. Did you sleep well?" Jan spoke brightly as warm sunlight filled the room.

The young woman groggily rubbed the sleep from her eyes, _not_ being a morning person _at all_. She zeroed in on Jan, and when she spotted him, she sighed, remembering her current situation. "Well..."

"You needn't look like that..." Jan's expression softened as he gave Halle a relaxed look. "If there is anything at all that you need, please let me know and it shall be arranged."

Halle sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, planting her feet on the floor. "Thank you, Jan." She smiled kindly at the butler who took her hands in his, helping her up from her bed.

Now that she was fully awake, that feeling of dread that had taken refuge in Halle's stomach the night before had resurfaced as she recalled what had transpired in the car _after_ Prince Joshua found out she was a commoner...

* * *

 _Last night..._

 _"Do you not have hotels in Dres Van?" Halle asked quietly as they sat in the car, fiddling with her thumbs nervously in her lap._

 _"Of course there are, but..." Jan seemed a little hesitant with answering her question, but he didn't drop that calm look on his face for a second._

 _Halle seemed to have her mind made up already. "Then I don't see why I cannot stay in one..."_

 _Prince Joshua cut her off irritably; he looked so indignant that he forced her to fall silent once more. "Why do you insist on doing something that will obviously cost money?"_

 _Halle just stared out the_ _window_ _angrily. She couldn't exactly say it's because she wanted to get away from him_ _, even though that was the truth_ _..._

 _Jan quickly spoke with a kind smile on his face as Halle continued to scream inwardly. "I shall arrange a room for you at the Manor. How about you come and stay there for the time being?"_

 _"But..." Halle felt a little out of place, and the last thing she wanted to do was be a burden on Jan. And be near to Prince Joshua any longer._

 _She sent a glance over towards a rather displeased looking Prince Joshua when Jan smiled kindly at her once more. "I will wait on you myself to make sure you are well cared for."_

 _And at those words, she found all she could do was nod._

* * *

So here she was, at the Manor... Stuck here against her will for who knows how long.

Halle got up and crossed the room, accepting the clothes Jan had brought for her and went to the bathroom to take a shower and change. Now that she had finished drying her hair and applied her makeup, she looked in the mirror to glance at what she was now dressed in. A cute white turtleneck, black leggings, and brown riding boots. She twisted her hair into a haphazard up-do, and she put in the contacts Jan had procured for her earlier this morning. As she motioned to step out of the bathroom and rejoin Jan in her bedroom, she heard a knock at the door.

Jan opened the door, and Prince Roberto came into the room looking as amused as ever. "Good morning." He was dressed in his typical, casual attire that consisted of a brown suit and a purple scarf. His suit was more of a warmer brown color in comparison to Jan's, which was almost a chocolate brown color.

Halle's shoulders dropped as she sighed in relief to the one familiar thing in the room. "Robbie...!" She quickly dropped what she was doing and sprinted as fast as possible until she crashed into his arms, hugging the prince as tightly as she could.

Prince Roberto laughed heartily as he hugged her back just as tight. "This has turned out to be a fine disaster for you, hasn't it?"

Although there was something about his kind smile that set her at ease, Halle was still pissed about one thing.

Her eye twitched slightly as she bitterly grinned at him. "Yes, and it's all _your_ fault." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger accusingly.

"Urk..." Prince Roberto laughed nervously at that accusation. "I know, I know... I said I was sorry!" He let go of Halle and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "How can I make it up to you...?"

"You can sort out my flying situation while I try to get permission to leave Dres Van." She crossed her arms tightly, raising an eyebrow at Prince Roberto as she awaited his response.

"Yes, ma'am..." Prince Roberto sulked slightly as he let her win this little battle, just like he always did whenever they had a "fight." There really was no sense in arguing with a lawyer.

Jan tried not to smile too obviously at how funny it was to see a common woman boss around a prince like that. He watched the exchange between Halle and Prince Roberto in attempt to find the right moment to speak up and say what he needed to.

"There are some differences between Dres Van and back home though, Halle." He tore his concerned eyes from his friend and redirected them to Jan. "Dres Van law is much more strict than Altaria's, the customs are different, and then there's the problem with _Nerwan_ Kingdom..." He sighed as he jammed his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Nerwan...?" Halle posed her unspoken question as she looked to Prince Roberto for answers. It wasn't one of the main six kingdoms, and Halle did not recognize the name.

Instead of allowing Prince Roberto to explain, Jan nodded his head and joined in. "Yes. The kingdoms of Dres Van and Nerwan were originally the same nation, but there was a civil war, and the country was divided in two."

"Oh." Halle ran her fingers loosely through her hair as she listened. "I think I remember learning something about that back when I was still in school..."

"As a result, the western half became Dres Van, and the eastern half became Nerwan." Jan added with a small nod.

"Yes, and that's where Leo lives!" Prince Roberto grinned brightly as he dropped the name casually, only confusing Halle even more.

"Leo...?" The puzzled look on her face was so amusing that Jan laughed in response.

"You must mean Prince _Leonardo_." Jan's smile remained even as his laughter dissipated. "While we do have a peace treaty with Nerwan, there are still tensions between our two kingdoms, and there have also been rumors that Nerwan may strike against Dres Van."

Halle's adorable brown eyes widened in surprise. "So you mean...there would be a war?"

"Well, there is always that possibility..." Prince Roberto smiled as he patted Halle on the shoulder. "...but the situation is nowhere near that bad yet. They are trying to maintain a friendly relationship at the moment."

"I see..." Halle nodded her head as her gaze involuntarily traced itself down towards the floor.

"At the very least, nothing is likely to happen while I am visiting Dres Van." Prince Roberto reassured her with confidence, taking pride in the power his presence bestowed on those around him.

"That makes sense." Jan nodded in agreement as he adjusted the brown tie that matched his brown suit.

Talking to the both of them had calmed Halle down just a little. So, even though they are taking precautionary measures, that doesn't mean there is any threat of war? Going by what she just heard, Halle concluded she wouldn't have to worry about that while she was here.

Prince Roberto grinned at Halle when he found her looking at him. "You are so cute with that look on your face... It makes me want to stay in Dres Van forever just so I can see it."

Before she could protest to that silly compliment with the angry look on her face, that last part had just sunk in for Halle, and her eyes grew wide. "Wait, you're _leaving!?"_

Prince Roberto's expression faltered a little at her question. "I would love to stay here with you, but I have my public duties to attend to. I must go home today." He sheepishly grinned at her as he reached behind his head to stretch a little. "Sorry, Halle..."

She thought it was a little strange that Prince Roberto was actually being responsible for once. Usually, Alberto had to literally _track him down_ and force him to do his work, otherwise Prince Roberto would just take off and do whatever he wanted to.

Halle's eyes slightly widened. "Then after you leave, the war..." She expressed her worried thoughts warily, only to be greeted by laughter from both Jan and Prince Roberto.

"That won't happen!" Prince Roberto found her statement genuinely amusing as he laughed at her. "If things _were_ really that bad, then Prince Joshua wouldn't have come to the party in the first place." He patted her head gently with a smile on his face. "If you are that worried, I will send word to Leo. I'll let him know there is a guest at the Manor, so he should be mindful of that. Okay?"

Jan looked at Halle with a bright smile on his face, and his eyes crinkled slightly from the large grin. "That is a good idea. It would be a great comfort if Your Highness were to speak on our behalf."

They both smiled, and Halle felt her nerves easing. What a rough couple of days it had been for her, huh...?

"Oh, right." Jan seemed to remember something suddenly as his mouth opened slightly. "Miss Halle, is there anyone we can contact for you? Your parents, perhaps?"

She had already called her boss and asked for a week or two off work, which he agreed to since she hadn't cashed in any of her vacation days since she started working at the firm. She could call Carrie, her assistant, but that was really unnecessary since she already called Harper himself. It would be nice if she could call her clients to let them know why she would be unreachable for awhile, but she didn't have their contact information, since it was saved in her iPhone that had been confiscated at the airport, so...

There really was no one to call.

Well, she _could_ always call Cynthia, who was kind of like a friend to Halle, but the model was always so busy that she didn't really want to bother her with her problems.

Although it was an innocent question, that didn't stop Halle from feeling like her heart got stabbed with a big knife. Her face visibly darkened, and it fell into a rather depressed expression. "No, there is not..."

"Surely there is _someone_ we can call." A booming voice suddenly entered the room, and Halle's bitter mood only grew worse when she spotted Prince Joshua walking towards her. Just like Prince Roberto, he was dressed casually, but he was wearing black jeans, a light purple sweater, and a brown scarf that had a cream stripe running down the middle.

"Good morning, Prince Joshua!" Prince Roberto grinned brightly at the purple-haired prince. "You are looking wonderfully fierce this morning." He spoke jokingly, and Prince Joshua sighed as his serious expression fell.

"I was born looking fierce." He waved off Prince Roberto's silliness, turning to Halle. "Now, Halle..."

"Yes...?" She hesitated for a moment as he addressed her so informally. Since when were they on first name terms...!?

"You may be stuck here for quite awhile." Prince Joshua stated firmly as he looked at her completely disinterested. "You must give us the name of someone we can call for you to let them know of your situation."

"There's no one to call..." Halle's eyes flickered to the floor, looking intensely depressed as the light faded from them entirely.

Prince Joshua grew irritated with her reluctance, balling his hands into fists. "This is not the time to be shy. Just a simple name will..."

"There really is no one...!" Halle suddenly snapped at Prince Joshua, trying to keep herself from completely losing it at this point. Her fists shook with anger as she glared at him. "My mother is dead, and my father has _never_ been a part of my life." She stared at Prince Joshua intensely as she spoke. "I have no family, friends, or colleagues who would care if I suddenly disappeared for a little while!" Her eyes didn't hide her emotions very well, because even Prince _Joshua_ noticed the deep sadness swimming in them. "I live alone, and the only person who would notice that I'm gone is standing right next to me." She crossed her arms bitterly as her eyes flickered over to Prince Roberto. "So, no... There is no one for you to call."

Prince Roberto's face twisted into a saddened expression. "Halle..." He shared her pain as he reached out to comfort her, knowing what it felt like to have very few real friends himself.

"Well, it's true..." Halle allowed him to hug her from behind, and she held onto the arm Prince Roberto had wrapped around her chest, burying her chin into it. "You're the only one I have left who actually gives a damn about me..."

Prince Joshua stood there completely stunned, staring at Halle in amazement. He was so stunned that he couldn't even scold her for snapping at a prince. Was all of that really true? Did she have no one?

Prince Joshua decided to take advantage of this moment and break the awkward, sad atmosphere that had been created. "Jan!" He snapped his fingers to his butler, snapping the grim-faced Jan out of his depressing trance. "Bring that thing to me."

Jan's face fell a little as he remained in that glum mood Halle had unintentionally put him in. "What? What thing?" He seemed to be lost for a moment as Prince Joshua glared at him before slamming a fist down in his hand in comprehension. "Oh! Right!" Jan's eyes immediately brightened as it dawned on him. He bowed his head apologetically. "Understood. I shall bring it right away."

Prince Joshua sighed as he watched Jan leave the room. "Honestly, it's like he's in his own little world. He's always going to be useless..."

Halle's chest tightened as she caught his whispered words. Useless...? Jan works his hardest to please Prince Joshua, and he calls him _useless_...!?

Prince Roberto's soft voice resonated around the room as he took this opportunity to say something. "He's brilliant, and he seems to care for you most of all."

Prince Joshua frowned deeply, annoyed that Prince Roberto had even dared to comment on his butler. "What would you know?"

Prince Roberto merely laughed. "I think you would know Jan's true nature better than myself, Prince Joshua."

Prince Joshua bit his tongue and looked away, and an uncomfortable silence settled around the room before it was suddenly broken by the sound of hurried footsteps.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Jan came flying into the room with an armful of papers in tow.

Prince Joshua grinned as he saw the impossibly large stack of papers. "Departure papers. Here we have everything you need to fill out before being able to leave the kingdom." He directed his words towards Halle, who only dropped her jaw to the floor in response.

"I have to fill out _all_ of these!?" She stared at the large stack of heavy papers Jan had plopped into her arms, nearly dropping them from the insane weight they carried.

Yep. This was definitely _not_ Altaria.

"Yes. You want to leave as soon as possible, right? Then get these filled out." Prince Joshua spoke coldly, and Prince Roberto scratched his head in thought.

"Dear me..." He looked somberly at the large stack of papers. "Would you rather just become my bride instead? That way you would be able to leave Dres Van, but as a member of the royal family."

Halle rolled her eyes as she set the stack of papers on her desk, and she playfully pushed Prince Roberto's chest. "You _wish."_

Prince Joshua looked astounded as he spoke out in surprise. "What are you thinking!? She's a commoner! You can't possibly want..."

Prince Roberto didn't even let him finish before he started laughing. "I'm kidding! Really, Josh... You shouldn't take everything so seriously." He glanced at Halle and delicately smiled before he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh. But I don't really have a problem with marrying a commoner."

Prince Joshua angrily clenched his teeth, and Jan waded in-between them. "That is enough." Jan looked startled by Prince Roberto's bold statement, and he felt the need to intervene before Prince Joshua grew even angrier than he already was. "If you would consent to stopping this conversation here, Prince Roberto, I am sure you must be leaving soon, and we do not wish to get in the way of your public duties."

Prince Roberto's eyes widened slightly at Jan's calm reprimanding, recoiling just a little. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry my dear Halle. I must go now." He pulled out his cell phone and waved it slightly to direct her attention to it. "You have my number, right? Call me if you need anything."

"Can you write it down for me...?" Halle embarrassingly squeaked out her request rather bashfully. "The airport confiscated my phone amongst my other belongings." She distressingly looked off at nothing in particular before she pulled at her hair. "Oh, I am so screwed... My clients, my assistant, and my boss have no way of contacting me because I don't have a phone anymore!" She frowned deeply as she glared at Prince Roberto. "I might have to miss out on a few high-paying clients because of you!"

Prince Roberto recoiled at her exclamation. "Sorry..." He sheepishly apologized for the thousandth time, and he handed her a small slip of paper with his number written on it. "Here."

Prince Joshua watched their exchange with a look of utmost curiosity and astonishment plastered all over his face. "You are a curious person, Prince Roberto. Exchanging cell phone numbers with a commoner..."

Halle's eye involuntarily twitched as she clenched her teeth from anger. What is with him and commoners!?

Prince Roberto seemed to be having some sort of unnerving stare-down with Prince Joshua as a result of that comment, and Jan pretended not to notice it as he spoke to Halle with a kind smile. "Now, Miss Halle. Is it all right to leave you with filling out these papers?"

Halle rolled her eyes slightly as a bitter smile danced across her face. "Fortunately for me, I'm a lawyer. If anyone can get this done quickly, it's me." She nodded to Jan with a look of confidence. "No worries. I should be able to finish these soon enough and get out of your hair."

Prince Joshua stopped glaring at Prince Roberto when he heard that, flickering his gaze over to the troublesome woman. "Good." He simply nodded in approval to her. "I want you gone as well, so get to it."

Halle stared at Prince Joshua in shock, unable to form a sentence as a result of choking on her words. Just how rude could this guy get!? Prince or not, that was no way to treat _any_ person, regardless of social status. Especially since she had witnessed Prince Joshua's capability of being pleasant company just last _night_... What happened to the blunt, ridiculously serious guy who was charming in his own way that she had danced with last night?

He disappeared the moment he learned she was of common blood, rather than noble or royal...

Jan's face fell as he quietly sighed from where he stood beside Halle. "Your Highness shouldn't speak to her like that."

Prince Joshua automatically turned his back to her and strode right out of the room, ignoring Jan's reprimanding as if it were completely beneath him. "I'll leave everything else to you, Jan. Got it?"

Jan smiled bitterly as he gave a deep, demonstrate of bow. "Your will is my command, Master." As Prince Joshua left the room, Jan gave Halle a shy smile. "My apologies, Miss Halle. His Highness doesn't really mean anything by it, he's just.." He spoke awkwardly as he tried to placate Halle, and she felt her anger ebbing away.

"It's fine, Jan. I know none of this is your fault." Halle smiled kindly to Jan as she delicately placed a hand on his shoulder, bitterly thinking to herself, _"my problem is with Prince Joshua..."_

"I'll leave you to filling out those papers, Miss Halle." Jan bowed respectfully to her before he quickly dashed out of the room, trying to catch up to Prince Joshua.

"He doesn't change at all." Prince Roberto observed with the tiniest smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Halle let the stress of everything loosen her typically stiff posture, sighing to Prince Roberto quietly. "...is Prince Joshua _always_ like that?"

"Yes." Prince Roberto shrugged his shoulders, nodding his head as he didn't really have to think about it. "He acts only in a way that his training as a crowned prince of Dres Van allows him to."

Halle's eyes fluttered as she stared at Prince Roberto. "His...training?"

"Yes. Those born into the lineage begin their education from a very young age." Prince Roberto nodded to her, seemingly lost in his own train of thought.

Halle's eyes were suddenly glued to the floor as she found herself not really knowing anything about this conversation topic. "Oh, I see..."

Prince Roberto stared out the window of Halle's guest room as he elaborated further. "Those born with a claim to the throne there are separated from their parents while they are still young."

Halle suddenly jolted with surprise, and she whirled her head around to stare at Prince Roberto in astonishment. "They separate them from their _parents_...?" She couldn't help but think just how _awful_ that was.

"Yes." Prince Roberto nodded his head with a sad frown of his own painted on his face. "Although Dres Van is the only kingdom that continues this practice. Things aren't as strict everywhere else."

Halle crossed her arms and gripped them tightly as she let her gaze melt to the floor once more. "I never knew it could be so different between the royal houses..."

"Of course it is. Just like the law firm you work at is different to another, so too are the royal families." Prince Roberto half-smiled to her, trying to lift her spirits just a little and talk about something less depressing.

"Well, yes, but to be torn apart from family at such a young age..." She felt her thoughts trail off into space at the end of her sentence, unable to really voice her opinion in full at the moment.

"I understand, but it's a matter for the royal family of Dres Van, and not something we have the right to comment on." Prince Roberto sighed a little as he casually shrugged his shoulders, dismissing the conversation topic before letting it proceed any further.

Halle felt a little out of place as Prince Roberto smiled at her. She couldn't help but feel that Prince Roberto and the other five princes came from a world _far_ different from her own...

"I guess being brought up that way is what makes him so unapproachable now." Halle longingly stared out the door Prince Joshua had just left through, feeling a little remorseful about snapping at him now that she came to understand him a little better. She should definitely apologize to him later whenever she got the chance...

"Hmm, did you say something?" Prince Roberto looked over to her with that bubbly smile of his, not having heard her.

Halle's eyes darkened as she shook her head. "No, nothing..."

* * *

 **Dang, I'm just realizing how long this book is going to be XD holy crap... Already on chapter five and were barely in...**

 **Finally, the story is starting to pick up! What do you guys think? I would really appreciate any feedback you can give me! Haven't been getting many reviews lately, so I'm a little bummed ^-^"**

 **Read, review, and enjoy :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_"Please, is anyone there!? Help! Help me!"_

 _Wherever she was, it was dark. A cell, maybe? She was confined to a small, desolate space made up of three concrete walls and the last of iron bars. There were no windows, and the only way out was through the metal gate locked from the outside of the bars. There was no way out for her, and her only hope of escape was if someone came for her._

 _But no one knew she was here, because she left of her own free will... Why did he do this to her? Sure, she trespassed, but wasn't this a little extreme!? She was an eighteen-year-old girl for crying out loud, not a threat! She only did it because she was thinking of her mother...!_

 _"Please...anyone?" Halle banged her head on the metal bars, grasping them tightly within her clenched fists. She somberly stared out at the dimly lit hallway, completely oblivious to the fact that such a place even existed in Villa Altaria._

 _But no one heard her cries for help, and she was left there all alone for what felt like an eternity to her._

* * *

Halle woke up with a start, snapping out of that painful nightmare fairly quickly as she rose her head from the desk she had been lying on. Her chest heaved as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

The dream? That was...

Halle shuddered at the painful memory, and she quickly took in her surroundings. She had fallen asleep at her desk apparently, and she instantly regretted it when she felt the crick in her neck start to bother her. Her whole room was dark, and her hard work was only barely illuminated by the soft warmth of the flickering candle she had lit only hours before. She quickly realized she must have fallen asleep in the middle of filling out her paperwork.

There were a lot of pages to fill out, but it also had to be written in the Dresvanese language, which Halle didn't know at all. An English/Dresvanese dictionary could only get you so far. She had been provided with both that and a laptop for looking up the words, but it was still taking her a long time.

Sure, she filled out legal documents like this all the time for work, but just like Prince Roberto had told her, Dres Van and Altaria were _nothing_ alike. In comparison, Dres Van law was much more strict and severe, and Halle found some of their laws quite ridiculous, such as the one keeping her here in the _first_ place...

Halle sighed heavily as she noticed the weight of something draped across her back. Upon checking it out, she found the object to be a blanket.

"I wonder if Jan covered me with this...?" Halle mused out loud to herself as she gripped the blanket's soft fabric within her fingers. Her heart lightened at the thought of the kind gesture, and she turned her attention to the paperwork once more.

Time to get back to work!

* * *

Hours later...

Halle trudged from her room as the sun began to come up, hoping her makeup covered the dark circles under her eyes as she grunted quietly to herself, "it's already morning and I'm still nowhere near finishing..."

At this rate, it would take her over a week just to get the _paperwork_ done... She knew it was going to suck as soon as she saw how much of it there was, but she never imagined it would take her _this_ long! At least she had the advantage of being someone trained in practicing the law... The paperwork was similar to that of Altaria's legal documents in terms of protocol and technical terms, so at least it wasn't _completely_ strange to her.

Halle had been told by Jan that breakfast was ready, and she was heading to the dining hall...wherever _that_ was. She had a pretty good idea, but Dres Van Manor was very extravagant in size, and it was pretty easy to get lost if you were a stranger to it.

The sound of footsteps echoing through the large hall reached Halle's ears, and she grimaced when she turned slightly to see that Prince Joshua was right behind her.

Halle stopped dead in her tracks and forced a tiny smile on her face. "Good morning."

He paused slightly as he just stared at her. "Couldn't you sleep?" At the same time his low voice reached her ears, he touched a finger to the soft skin beneath her eyes. Halle jumped a little and shied away from him, and Prince Joshua smiled slightly. "Missing Prince Roberto so much you couldn't sleep?"

Halle's faced flared up with anger as she reacted automatically. "No!" She clenched her fists tightly as she tried to regain her bearings. Why did he have to piss her off so much!? "I was actually trying to get that paperwork done as soon as possible!"

Nonplussed, he turned away from her as the playful grin he had been wearing was slapped right off of his face. "Are you always this loud in the morning?"

"Wha..." Halle felt her words shatter as she found herself unable to form some sort of retort to that.

"Come." Prince Joshua threw her a short command that only confused her.

"What do you..." Halle's words fell on deaf ears as Prince Joshua completely ignored her, brushing past her as he carelessly walked away.

He kept his back to her as he spoke. "Just keep quiet and come with me."

Halle sighed sharply as she stared at him from behind, biting her tongue to keep herself from saying anything she might regret later. So much for her thought to apologize to him! At least Jan is nice...

Halle found herself falling in step with Prince Joshua as he led her to the dining hall, remaining silent as she buried her consciousness within her swimming thoughts.

* * *

 _"This is awkward..."_ Halle thought to herself as she observed the situation.

She was alone in the dining hall with Prince Joshua, and neither of them spoke a word to one another. She recalled that the prince had been the only one present at meals the day before as well. It appeared that the part about him living separate to his parents was indeed true.

Her eyes wandered around the room, and Prince Joshua spoke. "Jan has gone out for a while. He should be back soon though." He paused slightly as he eyed her up and down curiously. "Was there something you needed?"

Halle froze immediately when she realized he had figured out exactly what she was doing, and she quickly forced out some sort of reply. "Oh, no..."

With nothing better to do, she started to eat the food in front of her, and she was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. She glanced over at Prince Joshua, and she wondered if he would mind if she spoke to him. After all, they _did_ hit it off pretty well and were able to converse fairly easily at that party a few nights ago...

Prince Joshua was reading the newspaper as he ate, paying Halle no mind whatsoever.

"This tastes really good." Halle smiled awkwardly as she attempted to strike up some sort of conversation with the prince.

Prince Joshua responded without looking up from his newspaper at all. "Mm."

Encouraged by his response, the lady lawyer grinned a little as she worked up the courage to speak again. "Are meals always like this?"

"Mm."

"Isn't it quiet sitting in here by yourself?"

"Mm."

Halle looked a little shocked for a moment before she grew a little irritated. "Are you listening to me?"

Prince Joshua's eyes didn't leave the newspaper. "Hm...mm."

Halle stared at Prince Joshua unbelievably. What nerve...! "You're not listening to me, are you?"

"Mm."

A vein bulged from Halle's forehead as she felt her whole body surge with anger. Why, that little...!

"Hey!" Halle quickly found herself snapping at Prince Joshua, trying to gain his attention, which was no easy task.

Prince Joshua finally lifted his eyes from the newspaper. "What is it?" He asked calmly, seemingly unaware of how disrespectful he had just been.

Halle bit her lip and she quietly began reprimanding him. "I don't think it's very good manners to be sitting there reading a newspaper at the breakfast table."

He seemed unconcerned by her disapproval as he went back to reading. "It's not against the rules."

 _"The rules...?"_ Halle thought to herself, making an odd expression on her face.

"I don't read like this out in public or when there are other people around." Prince Joshua gave his off-standish excuse, tuning Halle out once more as he paid only his breakfast and newspaper attention.

"Other people..." The words quietly fell from her mouth as she looked at the prince in shock.

Prince Joshua glanced up at her for a brief moment. "Oh. You don't count. Sorry."

Halle felt her jaw clatter to the floor as such a rude comment. "I...don't _count?"_ She over enunciated each passing word as her anger boiled up once more, and her knuckles were white as snow as she balled up her hands into fists. "I don't mean to be rude, Your Highness, but while I think rules are important, I believe a person's feelings are even _more_ important."

"A person's feelings?" Prince Joshua questioned her with a remarkably serious look on his face.

"Yes." Halle awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest, not expecting him to react to her lecture so calmly. "I think it is important to be able to put yourself in another person's position and imagine how they must be feeling."

The only thing Prince Joshua did in response to that was _laugh_ at her. "What's the point of doing that? It's not something I'll need to know when I become King."

Halle's expression was a bitter one as she bit her lip from frustration. "The point is..." She tried to calm her tone in attempt to conceal how upset she was. "...wouldn't it be better to enjoy your meal since we are here having it? That way, even your food will..."

Prince Joshua stared at her coldly, not allowing her to finish that sentence. "I don't understand what you're talking about. It is more efficient use of my time if I read the newspaper while eating. That way, I have more time for work and study." He set his newspaper down as he shot a thousand daggers at her with those cold, dead eyes. "Why should I take time out of my day just to savor a meal?"

 _"He cares more about being efficient...?"_ Halle's face visibly fell into an expression of pity as she thought that inside her mind _. "It's so sad that he would think enjoying a meal is a waste of time..."_ She found herself staring at him as she thought that, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"What? Did I say something strange?" He prodded her for some sort of explanation to the strange look on her face, a little annoyed.

"Not strange..." Halle's head rested in one of her hands as she looked off to the side. "Just a different way of thinking to me..."

Just then, she recalled what she had heard about the special training a prince must go through. Is that the reason he thinks the way he does...?

Prince Joshua looked straight back at her and opened his mouth to speak with an almost unreadable expression. "You look like you pity me. Don't."

"Ah..." Halle's words got caught in her throat at his sudden order, and she found her confidence wavering under that harsh glare of his.

"Sorry, but I see no reason why a commoner should pity me." He looked back down to his newspaper once more as he shoveled a bite of his food into his mouth.

Halle cast her eyes down to her lap, keeping her mouth shut. She could only just make out the words he whispered next.

"My life has _always_ been like this..." His face faltered slightly, and his eyes swam with uncertainty and sadness.

"Huh?" Halle rose her head to look at the prince, feeling a pang of guilt in her heart as she almost regretted what she said.

His face went blank as soon as he noticed her staring at him, and he almost looked a little startled. Caught off guard, even.

Is Prince Joshua...?

Her thoughts were then quickly cut off by the sound of the door suddenly opening, and Jan entered the room as cheerful as ever. "I have returned, Your Highness."

Halle felt a sense of relief at hearing his cheerful voice echo through the room. "Hello, Jan." She greeted him with a warm smile.

Prince Joshua looked up from his newspaper and simply stared at Jan. "You took your time."

"Yes..." Jan smiled apologetically at his master. "I had trouble finding..."

Jan's words were cut short as Prince Joshua stood up, skidding his chair backwards. "I have work to do. I'll leave the rest up to you."

"Understood." Jan bowed deeply as Prince Joshua briskly walked past him, leaving the dining hall immediately. Once he was gone, Jan turned a soft smile towards Halle. "His Highness must have been worried about you to have stayed in here this long."

"What?" Halle scoffed, almost laughing at how ridiculous that sounded. "No, His Highness was eating his own breakfast..."

Jan tilted his head slightly as the amused smile he wore previously flattened into a relaxed look. "But His Highness doesn't like to waste time, so he wouldn't usually be in here for this long."

Halle blinked her eyes repeatedly, not even sure what to say to that. "Oh..." She frowned immensely as her head fell into her hands, and she frustratingly grabbed at her hair. "Ugh... I just don't get you, Prince Joshua!"

Surely, that could not _possibly_ be true... Right?

Jan smiled worriedly at the woman before him as she seemed to be going through some inner turmoil. It was only natural for her to be confused by His Highness. The only reason Jan understood him as well as he did was because they grew up together since they were both just children...

The young woman suddenly recalled the blanket she had woken up with during the night, and she rose her head back up to smile at the butler. "Oh, Jan... Thank you for placing that blanket over me during the night."

Jan's eyes widened at her words, and his mouth opened wide enough to form a perfect circle. "Blanket...?" He blinked back his shock as the puzzled look remained on his face.

Halle drew her head back warily at the look on his face. "Yes... Someone covered me with a blanket last night. Wasn't it you?" She inquired curiously, a little suspicious at this point.

"No, it wasn't me..." Jan denied any involvement honestly, but then he seemed to realize something as he spoke, but he kept whatever it was to himself as he smiled at her. "Oh, yes...here." He held the bag he had been carrying out to Halle.

"What is it?" Halle blinked owlishly at the little bag as she took it in her hands, peering down into it in attempt to catch a glimpse of its contents.

Jan's eyes crinkled with happiness as he smiled brightly at the lady before him. "It is a cell phone. You will be able to contact your own, or any other kingdom with this."

A thoughtful smile crept up onto Halle's face as she stared at the bag. "Oh, how thoughtful... Is this what you went to buy?" She smiled so brightly that it could have blinded any man in his right mind from how adorable it was. "Thank you so much!"

Jan was a little hesitant as he responded, but the pure joy of her smile was contagious. "It is His Highness that you should be thanking, not me..."

"Prince Joshua?" The smile fell from Halle's pink lips as her eyes fluttered curiously.

"Yes..." Jan curiously smiled as he suddenly found the floor very interesting to stare at. "His Highness was the one who ordered that this cell phone be made ready for you immediately."

Halle pulled the brand new iPhone from the bag and rubbed her thumb over the screen, and instead of smiling, all she could think to do was frown in confusion. He had stayed with her in the dining room until Jan had come back just so she wouldn't be alone, and he had arranged for Jan to get her a cell phone she could use to contact people in other countries. And...

Did _he_ give her that blanket...?

His eyes were always so cold, and he seemed not to care for anything, yet his actions didn't quite match his outward appearance. She brought Prince Joshua's face to mind as she got lost in her own thoughts.

Suddenly finding her resolve, Halle smirked as she rose her gaze to stare at Jan. "Well, I still need to thank you for going to the trouble of getting this for me." She smiled brightly once more as she outstretched her arms, and she pulled Jan into a tight hug as she spoke. "So thank you, Jan."

Jan's eyes widened as she hugged him, but he found himself smiling as he rested his hands on her back. "You are most welcome, my lady..."

Halle suddenly let go and turned around, leaning into Jan as she held up her new phone in front of them. "Now, time to set a new wallpaper. Say cheese, Jan!"

* * *

That night...

Halle paced back and forth in her room, as restless as ever. Should she go to sleep, or should she try to find Prince Joshua? She did want to say thank you for the cell phone, but of course he wasn't there at dinner this evening...

She sat back down at her desk, motivated to get some more of her paperwork done. She got about five minutes into it when her pen suddenly ran out of ink, and she couldn't write any further.

Halle sighed as she glared accusingly at the pen, as if it was the source of all her problems. "I need to find Jan..."

She looked up at the clock to see it was much later than she had originally thought. Maybe she should send him a text... Oh, darn! That's what she forgot! In the excitement of getting a new phone, she didn't even think to ask Jan for his number... She plugged in all numbers she had memorized, plus her boss Harper and Prince Roberto, but she didn't think to ask for _Jan's_ number...

Slightly troubled, Halle got up and decided to take a walk down the hall. She paused at the door as she looked down at what she was wearing: a sweetheart-shaped, lacey, rose-pink, spaghetti strap nightgown that Jan had left for her in her closet, amongst a bunch of other clothes in her size.

Did she really care that she was in her pajamas?

...nah.

Halle slipped on her white flat shoes at the door and quietly stepped out into the dark hallway, disappearing into the night. She hoped she could find a servant or a maid somewhere along here...

She carried her pen around with her as she walked. The Manor seemed a completely different place at night, with all of its dimly lit hallways. She felt as if a ghost would jump out at her at any moment, and she quickened her pace, not liking the thought of _that_. She tiptoed through the halls further, trying to make as little sound as possible. Just then, she noticed an open door into one of the rooms.

Halle blinked at the glowing yellow light that escaped through the open door. "I wonder if anyone is in there..."

As soon as the thought slipped from her lips, she heard a dull thud. What was _that_...? Halle hurried towards the door and peeked inside, curious as to what that sound was. The room appeared to be some kind of office. Was it Prince Joshua's...? It didn't look like there was anyone here, though...

She wondered what made that sound as she was about to walk away, when her eyes suddenly caught sight of Prince Joshua collapsed on the ground.

"Oh my god!" Halle instinctively pushed open the door and ran into the room, and she fell to her knees beside Prince Joshua, who was on the floor beside the sofa. "Your Highness!?"

Her hand flew up to his cheek, and she rested her fingertips on his face gently as she slightly shook his body with her other hand. He was completely unresponsive to her voice, and she had no idea what she should do as she looked down at him.

"Your Highness!"

* * *

 **DUHN DUHN DUHN. A bunch of shit went down here. Halle's nightmare at the beginning of the chapter showed you guys a short little glimpse of her "mysterious-not-as-cliche-as-you-might-think-it-will-be" past. Joshua and Halle don't get along, but his actions don't match his words, which only confuses the poor girl to no end. And then he just _had_ to go and collapse at the end here, worrying the poor girl to death.**

 **XD the idiot doesn't deserve her if you ask me... Not until he gets his shit together, at least.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	7. Chapter 7

Halle was so shocked at the sight of Prince Joshua lying sprawled across the floor, but she soon came to her senses and drew closer to him. "Are you all right!?"

She had rushed into the study up on seeing him down on the floor and reached out to him, completely worried sick. Was he sick!?

"Your Highness!?" Halle leaned over him worriedly as she stared down at his face, calling out to him once more. She shook him gently, and his eyelids fluttered.

"Mm...mnn..." Prince Joshua stirred slightly, and his eyes twitched open.

"Oh, Your Highness!" Halle sighed deeply in relief as she removed her hand from his face, placing it over her heart. "God, I was so worried! Are you okay!?"

Prince Joshua sat up with an angry look on his face. "Shut up." He bitterly cut off her rambling, causing Halle's eyes to widen sharply.

She stared at Prince Joshua intently as he yawned, rubbing his eyes. "E-excuse me!"

"I was just _sleeping_..." He stood up as he spoke, paying her no mind.

He was just asleep? Thank goodness...

Wait.

"You were sleeping on the _floor?"_ Halle quirked an eyebrow as she rose back up to her feet, staring at Prince Joshua quizzically.

His face was expressionless as he turned to his desk. "I didn't go to sleep there... I _fell."_ He slumped down into his chair, seemingly unconcerned with the troublesome woman in his office.

"You...fell?" Halle's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as she only grew more confused. She looked back at the place where he had been lying down and caught sight of the sofa. Her expression softened as she whispered, "oh... I guess even Your Highness falls asleep on the sofa, then..."

Prince Joshua seemed unperturbed as he addressed the annoying girl. "I was just taking a nap. I ended up working until late last night..."

Halle understood, but she clutched her arms gently as she frowned worriedly at him. "But you'll catch a cold if you sleep like that..."

He glanced up at her, feeling as if she was quite the hypocrite at the moment. "You're one to talk. You're the one who fell asleep at their desk..."

Halle's face flushed red in embarrassment, but she quickly calmed back down when she had processed what he had just said. "Wait... What?"

A strange, saddened look came over his face before he turned away from her, and his shoulders relaxed. "Nothing..."

Her heartbeat quickened at his expression. Last night...did he...?

"Umm..." Halle tripped over her words, unsure how to ask this. "Were you the one who covered me in that blanket last night?"

Prince Joshua jumped as she spoke to him, and he looked up at her. "What blanket is this?"

She felt a little disappointed at his words. It would have been nice if _he_ was the one to give her that blanket... "I'm sorry. Last night, someone covered me with a blanket while I was asleep. I had thought it was Your Highness who did it..."

His face resumed its typical serious expression as he looked back down at his paperwork he had been filling out. "Why would I do something like that?"

That is a good point, but...

"I'm sorry." Halle sheepishly apologized with a cute smile on her face, tucking a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear.

Prince Joshua cleared his throat roughly. "You don't need to apologize." He kept his eyes focused on his paperwork as he asked, "did the blanket help at all...?"

Halle stared at him curiously for a moment as a suspicious smile found its way to her lips. "Yes, it did. I was very warm."

"Oh. That's good." She thought she saw Prince Joshua's features soften for a moment as a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He looked back up at her suddenly with his normal face again. "Don't go getting the wrong idea. It would be a hassle if a guest caught a cold while staying here, not to mention an embarrassment to the royal family." He spoke harshly, and and any feelings of kindness Halle had felt had melted away.

"I see..." She bitterly smiled as she felt he always had to say one thing too many, masking the dark aura that floated around her.

"If that is all, I suggest you go back to your room. I'm busy." Prince Joshua dismissed her, waving her off.

"Yes. I am sorry for disturbing you." Halle turned to leave, not looking back once.

She did think for a moment that he's actually a kind person deep, _deep_ down underneath that brusque exterior, but perhaps she was wrong...? No, that couldn't be it...

Prince Joshua really _was_ a kind person; she knew that now. He just didn't know how to show it. She didn't know enough about him yet, but she was beginning to figure the mysterious prince out, piece by piece.

Halle stopped at the door frame as she rested one hand on it, smirking a little as she turned her head back slightly. "You know something, Prince Joshua?"

"Hm." He didn't tear his eyes away from his work at all, just as she suspected he would do.

She smirked all-knowingly at the prince. "You are a terrible liar."

Prince Joshua jumped a little and looked up just in time to see the smirking woman mysteriously disappear into the hallway, leaving him with that one last thing. His eyes were wide with shock as he listened to the calming sounds of her footsteps growing further and further away from him.

He stared out the empty doorway, resting his head in one hand as a small smile slowly crept up onto his face. "Troublesome girl..."

* * *

The next morning...

"Doesn't this taste great?" Undaunted, Halle once again tried speaking to Prince Joshua as they ate breakfast together.

Maybe he wouldn't answer...?

Jan was standing at attention nearby, and a strange look crossed his face as he waited for Prince Joshua to respond, if at all.

"Mm..."

Halle was slightly disappointed at Prince Joshua's vague response, but she also accepted it. It's not like she expected anything to change overnight...

But then she heard Prince Joshua's voice. "It goes well with ketchup."

"...huh?" Halle blinked at Prince Joshua owlishly.

He looked over and pointed to her plate. "You have put Worcester sauce on yours, but it goes better with ketchup."

Halle quickly looked up at Jan, who looked completely astounded by Prince Joshua's behavior. He went to the nearby trolley and placed some ketchup in a small dish, and he brought it over to Halle.

"Here you are." He smiled gently as he placed the ketchup next to her plate.

"Thank you." Halle smiled to him as she spread some of the ketchup on her food and brought it to her mouth. Her eyes widened in delighted surprise when she found that Prince Joshua was indeed right. "Wow! It really does taste better this way!" She spoke unthinkingly before shutting her mouth tight and looking over at Prince Joshua. "Oh, sorry, I..."

Halle dropped her jaw in astonishment when she saw that Prince Joshua had the cutest, most genuine smile on his face that she had ever seen. It looked purely innocent and delighted, and she would be lying if she said his real smile wasn't the least bit charming.

"I did tell you it tastes good that way." He smiled brilliantly to her, nearly making Halle fall out of her chair from how astounding it was.

Halle's heart thumped in her chest as she awkwardly stared down at her plate, unable to meet his gaze when he was making a face like that.

Prince Joshua gave her a nod before turning his attention back to his newspaper, and the smile disappeared. He continued eating his own meal as if nothing strange had just happened.

Halle rose an eyebrow in suspicion. She didn't just imagine that, did she...?

She looked over to Jan, who apparently was even more surprised than she was after seeing Prince Joshua smile at her like that. He was frozen in shock as he stared at Prince Joshua, and when he noticed Halle's gaze, he bowed his head and retreated back to his post as if nothing had just happened.

He really _did_ smile, then...

Halle returned to her meal in silence, all the while her head was filled with thoughts of what she had just witnessed.

* * *

Several nights later...

Halle didn't think she would _ever_ finish these documents, but the end was in sight now! She looked over at her finished pile, unable to believe that she wrote _all_ of that.

She smiled bitterly at the sheer amount of work she had done. The remaining paperwork was slowly diminishing, and she was nearing the end. She had thought it to be a lot when she first started, but just like working on these documents, little by little she had become able to speak with Prince Joshua as well.

Halle sighed at the thought. At first, all she wanted to do was go home as soon as possible, but could there be a little part of her that didn't really want to go...?

Well, maybe not...

And with that thought, she bent back down towards her work.

...

But what if she really _was_ hoping her stay at Dres Van wouldn't come to an end?

* * *

 **I've been in the mood to write lately, hence the last three updates being so close together XD I actually would keep writing some more if I didn't have to go to work now... Such a shame. *sigh***

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Your Highness, about the party tomorrow..." Jan hesitantly spoke up to Prince Joshua at the breakfast table.

Prince Joshua paid him no special attention as he responded. "Yes."

Halle listened to the two of them speaking as she ate. She had been here for almost a whole week now, and this was the first she had heard of a party. Was there to be another party held at Nobel Michel again or something...?

Jan stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point. "We need to discuss your outfit so that I may place an order today."

"I see." Prince Joshua nodded firmly with an unchanging expression.

Halle blinked a few times as she looked over at Prince Joshua. "Is there going to be a party?"

Jan's mood seemed to immediately brighten by her innocent question, and he nodded with a smile. "Yes. It's..."

"That's enough, Jan." Prince Joshua looked a little angry as he barked at his butler, and Jan fell silent at his sharp tone. "There will be a large number of guests from other kingdoms coming. They mustn't know we have a commoner staying here." He narrowed his eyes firmly to Halle. "Do you understand?"

"I see." Halle's mood didn't seem to be affected at all by Prince Joshua's curt declaration, and she shoveled a bite of her breakfast into her mouth. "I understand."

She _was_ a little disappointed, but it was a royal affair, after all... Not that she cared too much for parties or anything, but perhaps she could have seen Prince Roberto there. She found it was strange he hadn't called her in awhile or blown up her voicemail box with several worried messages lately. Usually the blubbering prince worried about her whereabouts more than her own mother ever did, and she felt a little strange about not seeing him in so long.

Although that was the last she would hear about the party until later this evening.

* * *

Halle sighed in relief as she lifted the finished stack of papers into her arms and handed them over to Jan. It only took her a week to finish filling out all of the departure papers, but she did it.

"Thank you." Jan accepted the paperwork from Halle, and he looked upon her profile with a new-found level of respect he had for the woman. "I'm impressed you managed to finish all of these in such a short time."

Halle was starting to have mixed feelings as Jan spoke. The only reason she got them done so quickly was because she was wanting to go home as soon as possible...

She still did want to go home, despite the fact that she was actually starting to enjoy her stay here in Dres Van. She missed her job, and her little apartment... Halle went from being a workaholic who worked seven days a week to being stuck in a foreign country for seven days and counting, unable to do anything work-related. She was so behind on her cases, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was on track for partner at her firm, and she was worried that if she didn't get back soon, someone else at Garrison and Harper, her law firm, would swipe the opportunity from her.

But she did really like it here in Dres Van, as well...

Jan frowned slightly as he looked down on the stack of papers. "It will take at least three days for these documents to be processed, but it could take up to a week." His calm, resonating voice snapped Halle from her thoughts.

Halle's eyes grew wide as she let that sink in. "Does it really take _that_ long?" Even as she spoke, there was a small part of her that felt relieved. Maybe she would have a chance to get to know Prince Joshua better, then...

Just then, she heard a low voice coming from outside the door. She was fairly certain she heard someone speak her name, and the lawyer's curiosity was peaked considerably.

"What could possibly be going on out there...?" Jan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and he began to walk away from Halle. "Please excuse me..." He looked slightly baffled as he bowed his head to her and left the room.

"Did something happen...?" Halle blinked owlishly at the door as she began to wonder what was going on.

Well, she wasn't about to just stand here and do nothing. She would go and find out for herself!

Halle quickly followed after Jan, and at the end of the corridor, she caught sight of Prince Joshua and a couple more familiar faces.

Prince Roberto and Prince Wilfred.

"Halle! You're still here!" Prince Roberto's face lit up in delight as soon as he spotted his friend, and he quickly ran to her and scooped her up in his arms tightly.

"Eep!" Halle couldn't help but girlishly shriek as the prince childishly spun her around in the air, still holding on tight to her. "Robbie...!"

"Did you just...shriek?" Prince Roberto chuckled at her, and he patted her head in awe. "Aww, Halle... You're so cute!"

Halle's whole face lit up red in embarrassment. "W-well you ran at me suddenly, so I panicked... And...put me down this instant!" She demanded as she pounded on Prince Roberto's arm, and he laughed and complied. Halle huffed in defiance, crossing her arms scornfully. "Idiot..."

A strange look came across Prince Joshua's face as he watched their exchange, and then he suddenly buried his face in his hands to cover it up. "You idiot... Don't come out here."

Halle froze as his whispers reached her ears. Oops... Guess she wasn't supposed to come out of her room after all.

"Sorry..." Halle's gaze flickered down to the floor, and she apologetically smiled at Prince Joshua.

Prince Roberto smiled warmly as he hugged Halle tightly from behind. "You don't need to apologize. We were just asking if you were still here."

"Oh." Halle rested her hands on Prince Roberto's arms that were wrapped around her torso. She didn't shy away from the affection, appearing to have dealt with years of this sort of thing from Prince Roberto. "Did you need me for something?"

"Nope." Prince Roberto grinned brightly as he rested his head on hers. "I just wanted to see you."

Halle automatically looked at Prince Joshua, and he quickly turned away. "Well, the cat's out of the bag _now_..." Prince Joshua immediately began to take his leave of the group, walking away. "I'll leave the rest to you, Jan."

Jan looked a little surprised by his sudden exit, but bowed immediately. "Understood."

They all watched Prince Joshua leave as Prince Roberto clapped a hand to Jan's shoulder. "You have it tough as ever, Jan old buddy."

"Not at all." Jan smiled warmly. "This is my job." He let his gaze linger on Prince Roberto for a moment as it slowly traced its way over to Prince Wilfred. "Now, it's not unusual for Prince Roberto to drop by, but I'm surprised to see you here as well, Prince Wilfred."

Prince Wilfred looked completely unamused as he just deadpanned, "Prince Roberto _forced_ me to come."

Jan smiled as Prince Wilfred spoke without emotion. "Oh... I see."

"Well, there's that party here tomorrow, right?" Prince Roberto shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly with a silly grin on his face. "It's such a pain to have to wake up early and get ready on the day, so I decided to stay the night and bring Wills with me!"

Halle's eyes slightly widened at the sound of _that_. He must mean the party Jan and Prince Joshua were talking about this morning... It was being held here in Dres Van Manor? Looks like she will be hiding in her room for the night, since she's not allowed to go...

Prince Roberto relaxed a little as he saw the confused look on Halle's face. "The party is just a lead up to the main event."

Halle tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. "The main event?" She whispered that slightly to herself, and Prince Roberto cocked his head at her.

"Oh, don't you know?" His mouth fell open slightly in surprise. "There is a party being held at Nobel Michel the day after tomorrow, and so the party here tomorrow is a kind of before party."

"Oh...a before party, you say?" Halle crossed her arms gently, and she stared off at nothing in particular. "Well, I don't see how this has anything to do with me..."

Prince Roberto smiled strangely at her. Didn't Prince Joshua tell her anything? "Well, it's more like a small gathering to prepare for the next day and have a bit of fun." Prince Roberto swung an arm over the blonde prince's shoulder with a joyful smile on his face. "Right, Wilfred?"

Prince Wilfred nodded slightly. "Yes. We gathered at Philip last year."

Prince Roberto cut in casually, holding up his pointer finger as he butted in. "And it was held at my place the year before that." He turned to look at Jan with a smile. "So it's Josh's turn this time, right, Jan?"

Jan's mood seemed to brighten at the mention of his master, who he took so much pride in. "Yes... If I may, I would like to suggest that rather than standing here to talk, perhaps it would be best if you moved to the dining hall." He posed his suggestion politely. "I shall make preparations for dinner."

* * *

"The chef you have here is the best!" Prince Roberto commented happily as he munched on his dinner, satisfied with his meal. "I can't wait for tomorrow's party." His cheerful voice echoed throughout the dining hall that was normally quieter than a mouse.

"Thank you." Jan bowed respectfully in response to such a high compliment. "This chef is a favorite of Prince Joshua's."

Prince Joshua rose an eyebrow in suspicion to Jan. "When did I ever say that this chef was a favorite of mine!?" He spoke in a reproachful tone as Halle stared at him amusedly from where she sat beside him at the table.

Jan simply grinned at him all-knowingly, not even flinching at his brusque comment. "You didn't, but, you have kept the same chef for the last three months or more. Up until then, we could barely keep the same person for a week, right?"

Halle snorted as she chuckled under her breath, staring down at her plate. "Well, he's got you there..." She muttered under her breath loud enough for Prince Joshua to hear her.

Prince Joshua flicked her a quick glare as Prince Roberto and Prince Wilfred exchanged smiles.

"Prince Joshua _is_ a lover of good food." Prince Wilfred quietly commented to the others, smiling bemusedly.

Prince Roberto nodded in agreement with a grin of his own. "That's right." He laughed a little as he looked over at Halle. "You should have heard the complaints he made at _my_ party!"

Prince Joshua frowned a little at these remarks. "I wouldn't go so far to say I made _complaints_..." His eyes awkwardly darted to look over at the empty side of the room. "It was only for that combination it would have been better to use a carrot-based sauce..."

Prince Roberto half expected him to get defensive like this, and he smiled as he shook his head. "I know. After that, the recipe was adjusted to use a carrot-based sauce, just as _master chef Joshua_ suggested."

Prince Joshua's ego only got bigger after hearing Prince Roberto's silly comment. "It tastes better now, right?"

Prince Roberto shrugged his shoulders as he smiled. "I guess, although I liked it both ways." He gave his opinion freely. "They both have their merits."

Prince Joshua's enthusiasm vanished at this answer. "Your chef will never get any better if you are like that."

"Does that matter?" Prince Wilfred suspiciously rose one of his eyebrows at Prince Joshua. "I liked it the way it was before as well."

Prince Joshua started to look bored and turned his attention back to his meal. "I _weep_ for your taste buds."

"Well, how about tonight, then?" Prince Roberto posed his challenge vaguely before he decided to elaborate further. "There are all kinds of sauces being used here." He looked from plate to plate as he spoke. "Why not test which is the best and settle this?"

Prince Joshua and Halle had gravy on their plates, and Prince Wilfred had sour cream. Prince Roberto seemed to be using some kind of onion sauce.

"Truly." Halle nodded her head in agreement. "The sour cream looks good, too..."

"It's best with gravy." Prince Joshua looked over at her as he spoke his opinion curtly, frowning a little as he did so. He was involuntarily trying to force her to see that he was in the right here.

Halle chuckled quietly to herself as she turned her head down to her plate, shaking it a little. He can be so stubborn sometimes...

Prince Roberto laughed out loud at Prince Joshua. "Haha, you're just as stubborn as ever!" He made the exact same observation as Halle, sharing her reaction as well.

Jan pulled his lips into a small smile as he approached Halle with a side of sour cream and the onion sauce. "Shall we put it to the test, then?" He set them down beside her plate before returning to his post.

Halle looked at the sauces and then back at Jan, growing a little flustered. "W-wait, why am _I_ to be the judge of this!?"

Jan and the other princes chuckled at her, except for Prince Joshua, of course.

"Well, Halle?" Prince Roberto quirked an eyebrow at her, grinning mischievously. "Go ahead and try it!"

Prince Wilfred smiled at her in amusement. "Yes... I am curious to see what she thinks as well."

Halle's cheeks flushed red as she looked at everybody. "Jheeze, no pressure or anything..."

They all chuckled at her lighthearted attitude once more as she finally took a deep breath, then took some of the sour cream and tried a bite of her food with that first. It was pretty good, actually. It gave it a pretty different flavor, and she did like it. Next, Halle dipped her bite in the onion sauce and popped it into her mouth. It had a simple taste to it, and it wasn't as heavy as the gravy.

It was then that she noticed everyone had their eyes on her, and a nervous bead of sweat rolled down her forehead at the sight.

"Well?" Prince Joshua impatiently spoke up, looking over at the woman sitting beside him. "It tastes best with the gravy, right?"

"Well..." Halle's face fell as she folded her hands in her lap. "Actually, I... I can't choose."

Prince Joshua froze at her response. His eyes widened as his mouth opened slightly, and he stared at her in shock. "You can't choose...?"

Prince Roberto grinned mischievously at the purple-haired prince. "Oh dear, Josh. Did you just get rejected?"

Prince Joshua flushed bright red at this teasing. "Why does that mean I got _rejected?"_ Halle was startled by his strong tone of voice, but she kept her eyes on him.

He looked more shocked than angry, and a sharp pain shot through her chest to see it. Maybe she should have worded it differently...

"Different people have different tastes, right?" Prince Wilfred broke the ice with his simple question, pulling Prince Joshua out of his thoughts.

Prince Joshua sighed heavily at the question. "Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected a _commoner_ to have a discerning palate."

 _"Ouch."_ Halle bitterly thought to herself as she grimaced from that sharp stab to her heart. She still wanted to get her point across, though...

So, instead of letting him get the last word in or looking at the displeased face Prince Roberto was making as a result of what Prince Joshua had said about his friend, Halle thought she would stand up for herself.

"Excuse me." She folded her arms across her chest as she glared over at Prince Joshua, addressing him bravely.

"What is it?" Prince Joshua didn't notice the look she was giving him as he looked at her.

She rose an eyebrow judgmentally as she pushed her two side sauces over to him. "Will you not try the other two sauces yourself?"

Prince Joshua stared at her in awe, completely thrown off balance. "You want _me_ to try it...?"

"Yes." Halle simply nodded to him. "Rather than getting someone else's opinion, if perhaps you tried it for yourself-"

Prince Joshua's expression hardened as he turned his gaze back down to his plate. "I don't need to try it to know what is best."

Halle pouted adorably at his intense stubbornness, which didn't go unnoticed by Prince Joshua. "Come on, Prince Joshua... Just one bite?"

Prince Joshua hesitantly looked at her face as he slowly felt himself caving, and he visibly sighed as he reached for the two sauces. Halle smiled brightly as she watched him carefully try each of the other two sauces, eating in silence.

A strange look came across his face as he finished trying both, but he seemed to have not changed his mind at all. "The gravy is still the best."

"That's our Josh!" Prince Roberto clapped jokingly. "Never backs down from his convictions!"

Prince Joshua frowned as Prince Roberto continued to tease him airily, but he didn't look away at all as he stared at Halle.

"...what?" Halle looked back into his eyes as her heart began to flutter under his stare.

Prince Joshua's lips slowly began to form words as he had a calm look on his face. "But... It wasn't _bad."_

Halle blinked several times, because she was _sure_ she misheard him. "...huh?"

"The other sauces weren't bad." He continued to stare at her intensely as he spoke. "I can see how people's opinions can differ depending on their own tastes."

Everyone looked at Prince Joshua with the same shocked expression. Even the always calm and serious Prince _Wilfred_ had widened eyes and a jaw on the floor as he stared at Prince Joshua.

Prince Roberto blinked owlishly at the stubborn hard head he had known for so long. "That's not something I expected to hear our prince of the icy mask to say..."

Prince Joshua smiled at Prince Roberto's words bemusedly. "Really? I'm not acting any different than normal."

Prince Roberto's head fell into his hand as he smiled wryly at Prince Joshua. "Or at least you aren't aware of it yourself."

Prince Joshua's eyebrows twitched as his expression hardened. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing at all." Prince Roberto's eyes fell on Halle for a brief moment before he turned back to Prince Joshua with a smile that suggested nothing was wrong at all. "Anyway, what do you say to going on a drive after dinner?"

"A drive?" Prince Joshua was a little thrown off by the sudden topic change as he stared at Prince Roberto.

Jan politely broke into the conversation at the mention of this. "You wish to take a drive at this time of night?"

"Yes." Prince Roberto nodded his head before he suddenly grew a little worried, backtracking slightly. "Oh, is that against the rules in Dres Van?"

"No, of course not." Jan chuckled at his innocent question, lightening the mood. "Although, I would need to employ the services of a driver, so..."

"You can drive, can't you?" Prince Joshua looked over at Jan curiously, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Of course." Jan smiled brightly at his question. "Would it be all right if I were to drive?"

"I don't mind." Prince Joshua shrugged him off easily. "It would certainly be faster that way."

Jan nodded to his master. "Understood. I shall prepare to leave immediately." Prince Roberto and Prince Wilfred smiled warmly as they watched Jan bow his head.

"He's the perfect butler." Prince Roberto rested his head in his hand, staring at Jan admirably. "I need one like him at my place."

Halle just scoffed at Prince Roberto's comment. "Yeah, I don't think so. You need someone like Albie to keep you in check."

Prince Roberto frowned at her sarcastic remark. "Hey, I've gotten better!"

Halle folded her arms on the table as she quirked an amused eyebrow at him. "Oh, really? So Albie no longer finds it necessary to hide tracking devices within all of your clothes so he can find you whenever you skip out on royal duties and take off?"

Prince Roberto looked shocked for a moment as he stared at her before he suddenly started patting himself down. "He still does that!?"

Prince Wilfred chuckled and shook his head. "Prince Roberto, your butler is splendid as well."

Prince Roberto's face visibly fell into a frown. "Yes, I suppose he is. In an overbearing motherly kind of way..."

Halle chuckled at his shy admittance. "Oh hush, Robbie. You love Albie and you know it."

Prince Roberto knitted his eyebrows together as he glared at Halle. "Don't go telling him anything I said tonight, okay?"

Prince Joshua shook his head at Prince Roberto's silliness as he felt it necessary to comment on Jan's competence. "Well, I wouldn't say the butler here is anything special. Right, Jan?"

Jan gave an obviously practiced bow at this comment. "It is as Your Highness says. Please excuse my incompetence."

Halle smiled to herself as she shook her head. At first, shortly after she had first gotten here, Halle thought Jan was just following Prince Joshua's orders because he can be scary. But she could see now that Jan was very good at handling his master, as if the two were old friends but didn't admit it.

"Jan and Prince Joshua have been together since they were quite young." Prince Wilfred observed quietly as he took a sip of his wine. "I think they understand each other quite well because of it."

 _"That's just what I was thinking..."_ Halle rested her head in her hand as she thought to herself, allowing a delicate smile to find its way to her lips.

"I guess." Prince Joshua shrugged his shoulders. "We have been together since he came here as an apprentice butler."

Prince Roberto just snickered at what Prince Joshua had to say. "Prince Joshua doesn't have anyone else close to him, so he's pretty much his only confidant."

Prince Roberto's comment seemed to have struck a nerve, but Jan cut in before Prince Joshua could respond. "I will go and ready the car now. Please come to the courtyard when you are finished getting ready." The atmosphere of the room calmed immediately at the sound of Jan's soft voice.

But Prince Joshua seemed a little confused as he looked up at him. "The courtyard?"

"Yes..." Jan backtracked slightly, but his confidence and bright smile didn't waver for a single second. "Is there a problem?"

Prince Joshua paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No. It's fine."

"Please excuse me for now." Jan bowed respectfully to the group as he turned to leave. "I will see you all shortly."

"Later, Jan!" Prince Roberto waved good-bye casually to the butler as he left, being extremely silly.

Halle's eyes couldn't help but find themselves fixed on Prince Joshua as she wondered to herself _, "what was that about...?"_

* * *

Halle, accompanied by both Prince Wilfred and Prince Roberto, had ventured outside onto the castle grounds in attempt to find the courtyard Jan and Prince Joshua had spoken of earlier. They stopped around a grassy area filled with red flowers that had a couple antique benches spread about when Prince Roberto spoke up.

"He did say the courtyard...so around here somewhere?" Prince Roberto looked around at his surroundings, talking more to himself rather than the other two.

Prince Joshua had insisted the others go ahead without him, and Princes Wilfred and Roberto, accompanied by Halle, were all looking around the courtyard in confusion.

"I can't see any cars..." Prince Wilfred mused out loud as he pressed a finger to his lips.

Prince Roberto quirked an eyebrow curiously as he continued to look around the area. "I wonder if this is the wrong place?"

Halle was about to say something when she suddenly heard a soft mewing sound. Something furry brushed up against her leg, and her eyes flew down to the floor so fast in panic. She was relived to see that a cute little kitten had just walked up to her to say hello and demand attention, and the always-serious-and-bitterly-sarcastic Halle had a reaction that neither Princes Wilfred _or_ Roberto would ever forget.

Halle's lips stretched into such a huge smile as she immediately scooped up the kitten into her arms, fawning over its adorably cute face. "Aww! What's wrong, kitty?" She asked as she pet the kitten on the head.

"I doubt he's even a month old." Prince Wilfred walked up to Halle and started to pet the little kitten in her arms.

Prince Roberto smiled as he reached out to pet the kitten too. "Where do you think this little guy came from?"

Prince Wilfred shrugged as he continued to pet the kitten. "Maybe he lives out here in the courtyard?"

They were all busy petting the kitten in Halle's arms when a low voice rang out behind them.

"Hmm? Hasn't he brought the car around yet?"

Halle turned around with the kitten adorably snuggled against her face to see Prince Joshua walking towards them with a cross look on his face. He then immediately stopped and stared at them.

"What are you three doing?" He stared at the kitten in Halle's arms.

"We were..." Halle started to say something when Prince Wilfred cut in.

"We found a kitten." He smiled, now in a better mood having petted the cute baby animal.

"Look!" Prince Roberto pointed at the kitten. "Isn't he cute!?" He fawned over its cute face immensely as he took it from Halle, then held it out to Prince Joshua.

Prince Joshua grew very angry as he recoiled away from the kitten. "S-stop it!" He made a face as he shrank back from Prince Roberto even further.

Halle tilted her head to the side. Was Prince Joshua...?

Prince Roberto seemed to share her thought as he widened his eyes in shock. "Josh...are you scared of _cats_...?"

Prince Joshua flushed bright red at Prince Roberto's question. "W-what are you talking about!? Of course not!" He shouted, looking up at them this time. "I just remembered I have some work to do! You lot can go by yourselves!" And with those words, he hurried back into the manor.

"Oh, Your Highness!" Halle reached out her hand as if that would stop Prince Joshua from going, and she frowned as she watched him disappear from her sight.

"Hit the nail on the head, did I?" Prince Roberto tried to blink back his surprise as he stared in the direction Prince Joshua had ran in.

Prince Wilfred, who had been silent up until that moment whispered, "but he's so cute..."

"Truly..." Halle took the kitten back in her arms and stared down at his cute little face. "I can't see how anyone could be scared of something this small..."

In the next moment, they were being surrounded by light as a car came towards them.

"Oh, there he is!" Prince Roberto clapped his hands together excitedly. "Hey, Jan!" He waved his arms to the approaching limousine.

The car stopped nearby, and Jan came out to meet them. "I am very sorry to have kept you waiting." His eyes fell upon the kitten Halle was holding, and he smiled faintly. "Where did that cat come from?"

"I found him here in the courtyard..." Halle stared down at its loving face as she scratched his cheek, and the kitten seemed very pleased with the attention.

"Josh took one look at him and ran away." Prince Roberto stifled his laughter, reaching over to pet the cute kitten once more.

Jan gave a wry smile at this information. "Yes... His Highness isn't very good with cats."

"So it seems..." Prince Roberto mused some sort of response to Jan.

"Why?" Prince Wilfred posed his question, unable to understand Prince Joshua's strange fear.

"Excuse me?" Jan looked over at Prince Wilfred, a little confused by his question.

"Why doesn't he like cats?" The blonde prince restated his question more clearly this time, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Jan looked slightly puzzled by Prince Wilfred's question. "Well... He does seem to like animals as a rule... But with cats, he doesn't seem to like their coquettish manner."

"But whimsicalness is one of their charms." Prince Roberto commented with a tiny smile on his face. "Much like those of a woman. Right, Prince Wilfred?"

Prince Wilfred studied the kitten in Halle's arms. "I don't think that they are whimsical, but rather act based on their instincts. Wouldn't you agree?"

Halle seemed to be the only shining light in their group who really seemed to understand Prince Joshua's feelings at this very moment. "His Highness tends to dislike all things that are not as they seem, or are not truly one thing or another, so I believe he is not comfortable with a creature that appears to act on a whim." She looked down at the kitten with a half smile on her face.

Prince Wilfred laughed airily as he looked at the observant woman next to him. "You must spend a lot of time watching him."

Halle's cheeks slightly flushed at the embarrassing comment. "N-no... Not really. I just have talked with him more often since I have been staying here."

Jan clapped his hands together in attempt to enter the conversation. "What Prince Wilfred says is true. I am not sure if His Highness is aware of it himself, but he has recently been opening up to Miss Halle as well..."

Halle hadn't expected him to say anything like that, and she was at a loss for a response. She hung her head in embarrassment. "T-that's not..."

"Josh _did_ seem to be acting a little different today..." Prince Roberto thoughtfully scratched at his chin, and he slyly slid over to Halle and gave her a teasing look. "You must have infected him with your charm, Halle."

Her face was as red as a tomato from his teasing, and her heart started to beat erratically. "S-shut up, Robbie! I don't know what you are even talking about!" She playfully punched his arm in embarrassment, which he only laughed at.

Prince Joshua, opening up to _her?_ No way... That was just ridiculous. Even if that was true, then...perhaps she got through to him? It would be so nice if they could get along again, and maybe even be friends...

"Well, it is a shame, but shall we retire for the evening?" Prince Roberto looked at the faces of those around him as he asked his question. "Jan has Prince Joshua to worry about as well."

"That would certainly be preferable." Jan nodded to Prince Roberto with a smile, glad he understood the situation. "Thank you."

And so, the plan to take a drive was cancelled, and they all headed back into the manor. Once inside, the two princes escorted Halle back to her room, and before going inside, she remained in the corridor for just a little longer to say good-bye.

"See you tomorrow, then." Prince Roberto grinned as he stuck out his hand and playfully messed up Halle's hair, earning a glare from the brunette.

"Good night, Robbie." She rolled her eyes with a grin on her face, and she turned to Prince Wilfred. "Good night, Prince Wilfred."

"Good night." The blonde prince said his adieus, and both he and Prince Roberto left for their rooms they were staying in for the night.

Halle turned to open the door to her room when she heard footsteps, and she found herself poking her head around the corner just in time to see Prince Joshua heading her way.

"Your Highness..." Halle stepped out to meet him half way, and she greeted him with a tired smile.

"I thought you were going for a drive?" His expression remained unchanging as he looked ever serious.

Halle shook her head. "No, it was cancelled."

He frowned a little, but he didn't inquire any further. Halle wondered if he was maybe worried about what happened earlier with the kitten.

"Anyway, about tomorrow's party..." Prince Joshua reached back and ran a hand through his hair, avoiding her brown eyes. "I don't mind if you attend as well." His tone was unusually kind, and she was a little confused by it.

"Oh." Halle blinked a few times as she stared up at him. "Are you sure that's really okay?"

A bitter smile played upon his lips as she had asked him that. "Well, Prince Roberto and Prince Wilfred already know you are here..."

Halle felt a nervous bead of sweat roll down her forehead as she stared at him embarrassingly. "Oh, right..."

Prince Joshua continued to draw out his sentence. "And...you want to go, right?" His kind voice warmed her heart, and Halle couldn't help but wonder if he was actually doing this for her.

Halle's blank expression twitched slightly at Prince Joshua's kindness, and she felt her lips stretch into a bright smile as she grinned at him happily. "It _would_ be fun if I could go... Thank you very much."

Prince Joshua held something out to her as she spoke. "Here." He handed her some documents, baffling her for a moment. He spoke slowly as she took them from him. "It is your permit to leave the kingdom." Halle's heart began to beat unpleasantly in her chest as Prince Joshua continued to speak to her. "Everything should be finalized by tomorrow, so you should be good to go the morning after."

 _"I can go home the day after tomorrow...?"_ Halle thought to herself as she ran her fingers over the pages.

"So, I guess..." Prince Joshua looked downwards as he continued explaining everything to her. "...tomorrow will be your last day here at the manor." His voice sounded distant to her. "So I figured you should go to the party tomorrow and have a good time before you leave." His lips were pressed into a thin line, and he made the serious, unfeeling face he always did.

Halle felt the documents slip between her fingers and fall to the floor as she stared at Prince Joshua in shock.

...

Was that really it? Just like that, it was all over?

* * *

 **DANG. THIS WAS SO _LONG_.**

 **I actually took the time today to write a bunch XD I feel so accomplished after looking over the progress I've made on this book...**

 ***is already sobbing* this is chapter eight of my book, when in reality I'm only on chapter 4/16 from the actual game in terms of plot, and I still have the three sequels that come after the main story plus whatever fluff chapters I add in from my semi original plot for this story. *banging my head on my desk* this...is going to be so... _long_.**

 **XD read, review, and enjoy...**


	9. Chapter 9

"Good morning, Miss Halle."

The young woman groaned slightly as she awoke from her deep sleep, and her eyes fluttered open to see who it was who had spoken her name. A maid had woken her up bright and early this morning, and she crossed the room to open the curtains to allow a beam of bright sunlight to pour in. Halle squinted her brown eyes as they attempted to adjust to the sudden change in brightness, and she sat up slowly.

Halle elicited one big yawn as she stretched her arms upwards. "Good morning..."

"Please excuse my intrusion." The maid quickly bowed to Halle apologetically, then stood back up straight as she looked her directly in the eyes. "I am to assist you in getting ready for today's party."

 _"Oh...that's right. There's a party today,"_ Halle thought to herself as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.

She had been rather looking forward to this party tonight, after all. It was probably the only party she had _ever_ truly looked forward to in her entire life, given her obvious distaste for them. Being stuck here in Dres Van disrupted Halle's daily routine, and it was starting to get to her a little, as much as she did enjoy getting to know Jan and Prince Joshua.

She would go to work almost every day of the week, and she would also have lunch with Prince Roberto whenever he had a spare moment, and they would often go do something together and chat for awhile to catch up.

However, now that she had been in Dres Van for nearly two _weeks_ now, she had barely been able to see that idiot at all! She was excited that he came to see her yesterday, so she was looking forward to spending some more time with him tonight at the party. Despite him being a rather obnoxious and annoying person, Halle just couldn't help but let that idiot get under her skin, and she found herself missing the chatty man child's presence after being away for so long. She missed Altaria, and she missed getting to see her best friend...

Halle shot up quickly and clambered out of bed as the maid spoke to her once more. "Would you care to shower first?"

"Oh, yes." Halle spoke thoughtlessly as she ran her fingers through her greasy hair. Gross... She _definitely_ needed to take a shower this morning.

As Halle climbed into the shower and turned on the water, she began playing the events from the night before in her head, trying to make sense of what happened.

* * *

 _Last night..._

 _"What's wrong?" Prince Joshua's eyebrows knitted together as he stared at Halle curiously, and he bent down to pick up the papers she had dropped._

 _"Oh, no... Thank you." Halle shook her head to snap out of it as she accepted the stack of papers Prince Joshua held out to her._

 _"This way you won't need to have any reservations about leaving here." Prince Joshua pointed to the papers she was holding: her permit to leave the kingdom._

 _Reservations...?_

 _Halle's eyes flickered to the floor as she tried to hide her disappointment. "Okay..."_

 _Prince Joshua looked slightly annoyed that she responded so hesitantly. "What is it?" His mouth fell open a little in shock as he snapped his eyes wide open. "Are you displeased with how long it took? Because this was as fast as..."_

 _"Oh, no! That's not it at all!" Halle frantically waved her hands in front of her face in defense, cutting Prince Joshua off mid-sentence. "I was just thinking how you must have pulled a lot of strings for me..." She stared down at her feet in embarrassment, rubbing her arm comfortingly as she forced herself to look back up at him. "Was this the reason you didn't come straight out to the courtyard with us?"_

 _Halle tried to blink back her shock from seeing Prince Joshua's face suddenly get so red so fast, and the prince turned his head away in embarrassment._

 _"Well, yeah..." Prince Joshua quickly regained his composure as he turned back to look at her with a gentle smile on his face. "I-I know you don't really want to see me any more, so... If you could just wait one more day..." The prince awkwardly reached behind his head, trying to hide his embarrassment._

 _Halle lost all ability to speak, and she smiled back at him weakly. She wouldn't see him anymore...?_

 _What was wrong with her? Originally, she wanted to be out of here as soon as possible, but now..._

 _The corners of Halle's lips suddenly twitched up into a cute smirk as she suddenly found courage to speak welling up within herself. "Don't want to see you any more? Oh please, Prince Joshua." She brushed passed him on her way back to her room, playfully shoving his arm a little. "You are just fine. Don't worry about a thing."_

 _Prince Joshua turned to watch her go with a look of amazement on his face, and he found his hand resting on the spot on his arm where she had just touched him. He couldn't help but smile a little as she disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, and he turned around himself to go as well._

 _"What a strange, troublesome woman..."_

* * *

Halle stepped out of the shower and towel-dried her hair, then quickly threw on a bath robe as she tried to make sense of last night in her head. Why was Prince Joshua acting so...weird?

Ah, well... Perhaps she would never know.

Halle stepped out of the bathroom to find the maid from before holding up a dress to present to her, and she had a little smile on her face. "I have your dress here ready for you to put on."

Halle gawked at the gorgeous dress the maid had handed to her. It was simple in design with a plunging neckline, and it was the darkest shade of black to ever be crafted into fabric. A glittery royal blue sash and a pair of black arm-length gloves came with it, and overall the dress was stunning and looked _incredibly_ expensive.

...was it really okay for her to wear something like this?

Halle found herself just staring at the dress, and the maid curiously peered at her face. "Is everything satisfactory?"

"O-oh, yes!" Halle snapped out of her trance quickly, and she clutched the dress close to her heart. "It's stunning..."

The dress was exactly her size too, oddly enough. Maybe Prince Roberto had this dress picked out for her? After all, he did know her dress size and preferred style after all the parties and social events they went to together over the past five years...

Halle stood still as the maids dressed her, and then she sat down in a chair to have her makeup done. She felt the same way now as she did when she went to that party at Nobel Michel just a few weeks ago. Dressed in this dress, and looking like this... Halle really _did_ feel like a princess. Even if it was just for a day.

She felt as if she was looking at a completely different person as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. One maid did her hair, while another strung a beautiful diamond necklace around her neck. Halle stood transfixed as her reflection stared back at her. She never knew she could look like this...

She looked even more beautiful in this dress compared to the one she wore to Nobel Michel Castle.

"We are finished." One of the maids addressed Halle with a slight nod as they all motioned to leave the room. "If you could please wait here, Jan will be with you shortly."

"Okay." Halle simply nodded in response, feeling oddly obedient for a change.

The maids then left, and Halle had barely let out a breath and sat down in her chair when a sudden knock echoed from the door.

 _"That must be Jan..."_ Halle thought to herself as she fixed her gaze on the door. "Come in." She called to the door, permitting the person who knocked entrance.

The door swung open, and Prince Roberto walked inside dressed in a black suit with a cream tie. He shrieked girlishly at the sight of Halle, which immediately had her blushing furiously. "Halle, you look so cute! I could just eat you up..."

"Shut up, you idiot!" Halle quickly slapped her hand over his mouth, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Don't say things like that here! Actually, don't say them at all!" She loudly reprimanded him as she saw another person walk in her room out of the corner of her eye.

Dressed in a grey suit of similar style to Prince Roberto's, Prince Wilfred smiled at the two before him and shook his head, not surprised to see this at all. He was starting to get used to Prince Roberto and Halle's odd friendship, even though he had just met the woman just a few weeks before. "You look lovely, Halle."

Halle blinked her eyes at the blonde-haired prince, finding herself a little embarrassed from the sudden compliment. "Th-thanks..."

Prince Roberto took Halle's gloved hand in his, and he twirled her around in a circle. "So he _does_ have good taste after all... Don't you think so, Wilfred?"

"Yeah." Prince Wilfred simply nodded, keeping his response short and dry, disinterested, even.

"Who has good taste?" Halle cocked her head to the side in confusion as she looked to Prince Roberto for help, raising one of her eyebrows.

Prince Roberto laughed a little. "Josh, of course." He smiled all-knowingly at his best friend, purposely trying to make her blush, _and_ succeeding. "Apparently, he picked out that dress for you."

"He did...?" Halle's face flushed ever so slightly as she rested her hands on her stomach, looking down at the dress she was wearing.

Prince _Joshua_ bought this beautiful dress for her...? She thought Prince _Roberto_ did!

Prince Wilfred smiled softly at the look on Halle's face. "The cut and color suit you very well."

Prince Roberto shook his head, and his smile never left his face even for a second. "Josh always seemed to dislike anything like that, though..."

Halle's chest tightened at Prince Roberto's words. Prince Joshua took the time to choose her dress, even though he doesn't like to...? What a sweet guy...

Well, once you got past that super thick idiot exterior, that is.

A soft knock came from the door, and Jan stepped inside the room. His eyes immediately fell on both Princes Roberto and Wilfred. "Oh, I see Your Highnesses are here as well."

"Yes." Prince Roberto kept a casual smile on his face as he slyly swung an arm around Halle's shoulders, ignoring her verbal protests and the scowl on her face. "We thought we must say good morning to the beautiful princess."

Jan didn't seem to find anything strange in this behavior, and his eyes crinkled slightly from the bright smile on his face. "We have a little more time before the party starts. What would you like to do? I can bring you a little something to eat up to your rooms if you would like."

Prince Roberto turned his attention up to the clock on the wall. "Oh, so that's the time..." He pressed a finger to his lips before he turned to Jan with a smile. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"I'll have some scrambled eggs and fresh bread." Prince Wilfred nodded to Jan with no trace of emotion on his face, as usual.

"Understood." Jan bowed a little in understanding, and he started to leave the room with the two princes as Halle suddenly called out to him.

"Oh, Jan!" Halle outstretched her hand to stop him, and the butler paused and turned to look at her. "Where is Prince Joshua this morning?"

"His Highness is currently working." Jan smiled at her gently as he answered her innocent question.

Prince Roberto spun around at the sound of that. "He got angry at us earlier, saying that he's now behind in his work because of us." He laughed a little as he recalled being reprimanded by the purple-haired prince on his way to see Halle this morning.

Halle's shoulders slumped a little in disappointment. "Oh...he's working."

Jan's face fell slightly at seeing the lady so glum, and he bowed apologetically to Prince Roberto. "I apologize for my master's rudeness..."

Prince Roberto smiled kindly to the butler, patting him gently on the shoulder. "It's alright, I'm used to it. And we _did_ turn up unexpectedly last night..."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Halle." Jan bowed to both Halle and Prince Roberto before turning to leave. "Please wait here and I shall bring you something to eat shortly."

Halle felt somewhat disappointed as she watched Jan leave. Seeing as Prince Joshua went to all that trouble to pick the dress out for her even though he was behind on work, she had wanted to show him how it looked and thank him properly...

Halle felt as if she just _had_ to something here, and she couldn't wait any longer. Prince Joshua was probably busy, and he'd probably yell at her for bothering him, but she really _did_ want to thank him...

Halle took a step forward to leave, and a voice from behind her stopped her in her tracks.

"Are you off to see Prince Joshua?"

"Wha..." Halle spun around to only be greeted by Prince Wilfred smiling softly at her. She didn't even see him there before. "Yes. I thought I should thank him for the dress..."

Prince Wilfred turned the corners of his mouth up into a little smile as he looked down at her. "That's good."

Halle found herself staring at his smile as he spoke. She noticed it yesterday when they found the kitten, but Prince Wilfred had a really nice smile, even though he rarely seemed to use it. And for some reason, that brought Prince Joshua's face to mind. She found herself wondering if Prince Joshua was actually a kind person like Prince Wilfred... He had to be after all the nice things he had done for her, right? That would most certainly explain the dress, and him pulling strings to get her a permit to leave Dres Van so fast...

Prince Wilfred seemed to notice her being lost in thought, and he smiled curiously as he observed her. "He must have it bad if he is able to pick out such a perfect dress for you."

Halle's eyes snapped wide open, and she blinked at Prince Wilfred quizzically. "What...?"

Prince Wilfred's eyes wavered a little at her question. "Never mind... It's none of my business." His words cut off sharply, and a smile came to his face once more. "That is something you will need to answer for yourself." He then turned away from her, leaving a very confused Halle behind.

Halle awkwardly ran her fingers through her bangs, trying to make sense of what he just said. "For myself...? What could that possibly..."

Prince Wilfred paused and turned back to look at her once more. "Perhaps it was not my place to say anything...but think of it as a thank you for the beautiful visage you have shown me."

Halle blinked at Prince Wilfred repeatedly in shock. Did he just say that she looked beautiful...?

As she watched him walk away, his voice echoed through the corridor. "I was made to come here, and I felt reluctant to join in... But yesterday with the kitten, and after seeing you today..." He glanced back, smiling with his entire face. "...it hasn't been too bad a visit after all."

Halle stood there watching him go, only growing more and more confused by the second. Ugh, she couldn't let herself get distracted now! She needed to go and find Prince Joshua and thank him for the dress!

And having that in mind, she started off down the corridor in search for Prince Joshua's office.

* * *

 **First update since the new year! Sorry it's been a little over a week...I've been a bit busy. But, I busted out this chapter today after feeling motivated from reading a really nice review, and I'm super pumped! I'm having a blast writing both this story and my Metro PD fanfiction, and this is a really nice break from my Pokemon fanfiction I'm always writing.**

 **Well, read, review, and enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

"What are you doing here?" Prince Joshua looked up from his desk covered in papers, dressed nicely in a black suit with a black bow tie. He shot Halle a strange look as she entered his office, and he took a good look at her and smiled. "Oh, you're all ready then?"

"Yes." Halle smiled as she stared down at her lovely dress. "Thank you very much for the dress." She bowed her head a little, and Prince Joshua's lips curled up in amusement.

"Hm." Prince Joshua looked her up and down with a smile on his face. "I see fine feathers do indeed make fine birds." Halle went into shock from his comment, and she stiffened up a bit. Prince Joshua seemed puzzled by her reaction. "...I had meant it as a compliment?" He sounded unsure of himself as he stared at her eyes.

Halle just sweatdropped, and she resisted the urge to slap her forehead abruptly. "Um, Prince Joshua... You _are_ aware that's not a compliment, right...?" She spoke honestly, and he looked up at her.

"Oh? But I did mean it as a compliment..." Prince Joshua looked down as he covered his mouth with his hand, a little confused. He suddenly stood from his chair and smiled, and he started to walk over towards her. "But I will confess I'm not very practiced in paying attention to women." There was kindness in his eyes as he approached her. "I am sorry if I offended you. I assure you that I meant it as a compliment."

"Wow." Halle chuckled a little, and she smiled brightly before covering her mouth to smother her laughter. "You really _suck_ at giving compliments..."

Prince Joshua sweatdropped a little, and in attempt to cover for his embarrassment, he brushed his hand against her cheek and looked into her eyes, successfully getting her to stop laughing. "I chose that one because I thought the color would suit you, and it does."

"Oh..." Halle's heart started to beat ten times faster, and Prince Joshua withdrew his hand from her cheek. He then held that hand out in front of her.

"Your hand." Prince Joshua beckoned Halle to give him her hand, and all that did was confuse her.

"What...?" Halle blinked at his outstretched hand owlishly, and she tilted her head to the side adorably.

"The party will begin soon." Prince Joshua ushered her to give him her hand once more. "Shall we go?"

"Oh, okay!" Halle's whole face erupted into a bright smile that Prince Joshua thought put the stars to shame, and she placed her hand tentatively in his. She couldn't help but notice his hand felt warm in her own, and she felt a gentleness in him as he looked at her.

"I apologize for being rude to my guest." Prince Joshua spoke expressionlessly before motioning to escort Halle to the party.

Halle smiled a little as she gently squeezed his hand, allowing him to lead her down to the ballroom. "It's alright."

* * *

Dres Van's ballroom was quite different than Nobel Michel's. It was two floors high as well, but everything else was different. The walls were covered by deep green curtains and golden doors, and crystal chandeliers hung from the gold ceiling. The wooden floor was bright red, and pushed off to the sides of the room were a bunch of tables adorned by white tablecloths and brown chairs.

There was a stir among the guests as Prince Joshua escorted Halle through the party hall, and she couldn't help but feel that all of these people had their eyes on her. It was a little unnerving, and she unconsciously found herself clinging to Prince Joshua a little more than was necessary, but he didn't seem to mind or notice at all.

 _"I feel so out of place..."_ Halle thought to herself as she scanned the crowd in search of Prince Roberto, but she didn't see him anywhere. Instead, she saw the glaring eyes of all the envious women that seemed to follow her every step, and she felt herself unable to breathe as a result of their cold eyes burning holes in her skin.

Just then, Prince Joshua leaned over and whispered in her ear, "They are all probably wondering which noble's daughter you are. You actually look like one right now."

Halle grimaced internally, thinking, _"that certainly wasn't a compliment..."_

Prince Joshua lead Halle over to two people who hand their backs turned to them, but Halle quickly sighed in relief when she saw them turn around. It was Prince Roberto and Prince Wilfred.

"Huh." Prince Roberto smiled curiously at Prince Joshua, looking between both him and Halle with a mischievous look on his face. "You told us you were too busy working, and then you escort Halle here on the sly."

Prince Joshua frowned a little at Prince Roberto's remarks, feeling a little provoked by that intentional slander. "On the sly...? She is my guest. It is only right that I escort her."

Halle was listening to their banter as Prince Wilfred spoke quietly beside her. "It looks like you were able to thank him properly, and gained an escorted entrance as well."

"What?" Halle turned her attention away from the two bickering boys and looked over at Prince Wilfred. "Oh, yeah..."

Prince Roberto turned his attention to Halle as she answered with a cross look on his face. "Hey, what are you two doing keeping to yourselves over there!?" He seemed unusually annoyed at the moment, seemingly provoked by Halle and Prince Wilfred talking to each other. "You should tell them off too, Josh!" Prince Roberto nudged Prince Joshua's arm, bringing him into the conversation.

"Tell us off for _what_...?" Halle mumbled under her breath with an annoyed look on her face.

Prince Joshua frowned at Prince Roberto's exclamation, and at the same time he let go of Halle's hand and let his hand fall down to his side. "Why would I? Halle is free to talk to whomever she likes." He turned his head and started looking for Jan, already bored with this conversation. "More importantly though, where are the drinks?"

Prince Joshua called out to a nearby maid and ordered for her to bring both him and his guests some wine, and Jan entered the room as soon as the maid was leaving it.

"Oh, there you are, Miss Halle." Jan looked a little relieved as he finally found her, sighing a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jan..." Halle sheepishly apologized, completely forgetting that she was supposed to wait in her room for him to come back with something to eat. "I ended up coming straight here..."

Jan seemed unbothered by it completely and just smiled at her. "No, it's fine. Would you care to try some of this wine...? And would Your Highness like some as well?" Jan held a tray filled with glasses of red wine out to Halle and Prince Joshua, offering them a glass.

Prince Joshua took his glass and looked at each of the people surrounding him. "Please enjoy yourselves."

Halle watched as he walked away towards the center of the party, and both Prince Roberto and Prince Wilfred gave her a worried look.

Prince Roberto frowned a little. "If he's going to go to the trouble of escorting you here, he should look after you properly as well."

"Oh, it's fine, Robbie." Halle waved off his concern as she brought her glass of wine to her lips. "His Highness will be very busy playing host today."

Jan smiled kindly at her as she spoke, glad that she was so understanding. Most people misunderstood Prince Joshua and his actions and rather disliked him for it, but she never seemed to be all that bothered and caught on rather quickly. It was nice for a change to have someone other than himself around who understood Prince Joshua.

Just then, a group of women hesitantly approached Prince Roberto, and one of them shyly smiled at him. "Excuse me, but are you Prince Roberto of Altaria? Please, will you dance with me?"

Halle had a bitter smirk on her face as she glanced at Prince Roberto, taking a rather large gulp of her wine. "Your fan club awaits, Robbie."

Prince Roberto responded with a bright smile that stretched from ear to ear. "Of course! I never say no to a lady." He then turned slightly and waved good-bye to Halle. "I'll see you later, Halle."

"Okay..." Halle hesitantly watched his back as he left before realizing Prince Wilfred had disappeared as well, and she felt her heart sink into her stomach.

Great... She came here just to spend time with him, and then he got swept away by what she called his "fan club" again. This is what always happened at parties whenever he brought her to one... They would be having such a great time, and then a bunch of his fangirls would come by and steal him away. Not that she was jealous, but she did always feel lonely. And to make matters worse, Prince Joshua had left her, and she had basically no one else she really knew at this party to talk to aside from Jan.

Prince Wilfred was gone, and that left Halle to herself just drinking her wine awkwardly in the back of the ballroom. Prince Wilfred was like a closed book... She didn't understand him any more than she understood Prince Joshua.

Halle turned to look at Prince Joshua, who was going around the room greeting his guests. "I...am completely out of place amidst all these beautiful women." Her eyes wandered around all of the gorgeous noblewomen, actresses, and models, marveling over their beautiful ball gowns.

Halle awkwardly put herself away in a corner, sipping her glass of red wine. It's not like she had anything better to do. Several minutes later, she may have consumed a little _too_ much wine, and she was feeling slightly tipsy. Halle could hold her liquor pretty well, but she wasn't used to the higher alcohol content of Dres Van's wine in comparison to Altaria's. Oh well, she would probably be fine, as long as she started to slow down a little.

"You're looking cheerful."

Halle turned around and was startled to see that Prince Roberto had snuck up behind her and spoke to her. "Not really... I've just had a glass or two of the wine. Or five." She awkwardly sweatdropped, and Prince Roberto chuckled at her.

She didn't really know anyone here, so there wasn't really much else for her to do other than drink. Although it probably wasn't the best idea to drink so much on an empty stomach...

"Do you like wine?" Prince Roberto stared at her quizzically, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Mmhmm." Halle simply nodded her head. "I enjoy a glass of red wine occasionally." The red wine being served at this party was of _much_ finer quality than what Halle had at home, and she was rather enjoying getting to drink this fancy stuff for a change.

"Ah." Prince Roberto smiled in understanding. "In that case, should I send for another glass?"

"Oh... No, I..." Halle barely had a chance to politely refuse before Prince Roberto turned and called a maid over, paying no attention to her.

"Here you are." Prince Roberto held out another glass of wine to her with a handsome smile on his face. "You don't need to hold back."

Halle got a grip on the glass Prince Roberto had practically just shoved into her hands, and she stared at it for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "Oh, what the hell. When in Rome, I guess..."

Prince Roberto chuckled as he watched Halle bring the new glass of wine to her lips, and he awkwardly shoved his hands into his pockets. "So, Halle... I got your flying situation sorted out."

Halle nearly spit out her wine at that little confession. "You did!?"

"Yep." Prince Roberto nodded his head. "You're good to go now. You should have no problem purchasing plane tickets and boarding any flights from now on."

"How did you manage that?" Halle laughed a little with a sweet smile on her face. "I for sure thought even _you_ would have trouble getting someone off that list, even if you were the one who put them on it in the first place." Her brown eyes lingered on Prince Roberto's profile for a moment as she glared at him.

"Well..." Prince Roberto reached back and grabbed the back of his neck awkwardly, sheepishly looking at the angry look on Halle's face. "I actually had to get my dad's help with that."

Halle's angry look melted into an expression that showed no trace of emotion, and she brought her glass to her lips. "Oh. Well, I don't see why the King would do such a thing."

Prince Roberto felt a frown tug at his lips as he looked at her, and he exhaled sharply. "Well, once I told him it was my fault, he took care of it."

"Of course he did." Halle downed the rest of her glass of wine in one go, and she unconsciously narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular. "After all, the King would do practically _anything_ to avoid a scandal of any sort."

Prince Roberto opened his mouth to say something, but another woman approached him and hesitantly addressed him. "Would I be able to ask Your Highness for a dance?"

Prince Roberto wiped any trace of discomfort off his face as he turned away from Halle, and in one swift movement, he took the woman's hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. "But of course!"

Halle found herself alone once more, and now she was just in a bitter mood. She ordered another glass of wine to keep her occupied as she glanced around the hall, and she couldn't see Prince Joshua or Prince Wilfred anywhere.

Halle sighed depressingly to herself as she took another sip of wine. "What is the point of me even being here...?"

This was _supposed_ to be her last day at the manor. So much for kicking off her last night with a bang...

She was starting to feel a bit disgruntled when she heard a soft voice beside her. "Aren't you drinking a bit too much, Miss Halle?" Jan was looking at her with a worried expression, and she couldn't help but smile in response.

"I'm fine, Jan." Halle reassuringly patted his arm. "I'm pretty decent at holding my liquor." She said with assurance, but even she knew she had consumed a little too much herself. "I'll be saying good-bye to this place tomorrow anyway. I figured I'd take this opportunity and make the most of the wine." Halle let out a bitter scoff, taking a large gulp from her glass.

Jan seemed saddened by her blunt speech, and his face visibly fell. "I had heard that your application to leave was successful. Congratulations." Although his words were kind, he didn't remove the frown from his face.

Halle smiled at Jan and set down her glass of wine, and she suddenly embraced him in a big hug. "Thank you for all the help you have given me, Jan. And if you think this is the last you will see of me, you are sorely mistaken." She pulled away and grinned up at him mischievously. "Don't worry. I promise to call you frequently and bug you whenever I get a spare second."

Jan chuckled a little, smiling for the first time since he started this conversation with her. "You won't be a bother to me, Miss Halle. And I will admit that I will be sad to see you go." He patted her on the head in an older brotherly fashion. "And I'm sure His Highness will be too."

Halle's chest tightened at Jan's words, knowing there was just no way that could be true. "I'm sure His Highness won't think twice about it really..." She scoffed a little, crossing her arms bitterly over her chest. "I'm sure he'll be relived to have me out from under his feet."

Perhaps it was all the wine she had consumed that had gotten her insecurities talking, but her words still struck a nerve with Jan no less.

"Do you really believe His Highness to be such a cold person?" Jan spoke sharply, and the unnerving smile he wore never left his face.

Halle widened her eyes slightly at Jan's passive-aggressive comment, causing her to backtrack a little and regret speaking so freely.

She was shocked by his unusually forceful tone, but Jan played it off with a smile and reached for her glass. "Please excuse my rudeness. Shall I bring you another glass?"

Halle had a strange feeling come over her, and she shook it off and looked straight back at Jan. "Yes, please."

Jan stared at her for a moment before bowing. "Understood. I shall bring it to you momentarily."

Jan was back soon, and Halle accepted the glass of wine from him. Just as Halle put her glass to her lips, Prince Joshua suddenly waded through the crowd and made his way over to Halle.

"You drink a lot for a woman." Prince Joshua stared down at her, curiously eyeing the glass of wine she was drinking.

Halle laughed a little, pulling the glass away from her lips. "I really haven't drank all that much... This is my seventh glass and I'm still standing."

Prince Joshua just snorted at her cheeky retort. "With your face all red like that?" He pointed to her cheeks which were, in fact, flushed. "In any case, you shouldn't be here drinking without having at least one dance." He seemed to backtrack a little, staring at her curiously. "Or is this normal behavior for a commoner?"

Halle took offense to that last remark, and she narrowed her eyes at the purple-haired jerk. "That is not the case at all." She rose her glass to her lips. "I'm just not a fan of these kinds of events, and I only dance when forced, so I think it would be best to just stick to quietly drinking over here."

Prince Joshua could sympathize with her response, and he motioned to stand next to her and face the rest of the ballroom filled with dancing couples. "Well, I don't really like parties either, and don't care to dance... So I do know how you feel."

"Your Highness..." Halle blinked owlishly at Prince Joshua, not used to him being so open like this.

"Haha." Prince Joshua's whole face lit up with a big smile as he laughed, and he clinked his glass of wine with Halle's. "Shall we drink together then to celebrate your last night here?"

Halle felt a sharp pain in her chest in time to the chiming of the glasses, and she resisted the urge to frown. Prince Joshua was trying his best to be kind, and she knew it. But, she did smile, thinking it was the thought that counted.

"Yes, let's." Halle smiled weakly as she took another sip from her glass, allowing Prince Joshua to be her company for the evening. Glass firmly in hand, she decided to let her curiosity get the best of her and motioned to ask him some questions. "Why don't you like parties? I'm sure Your Highness must get a lot of ladies wanting to dance with you."

Prince Joshua frowned a little. "That's what I don't like."

"Oh?" Halle's interest was piqued by that curt little declaration.

"I'm not interested in women." Prince Joshua firmly crossed his arms over his chest, and he quickly grew on the defensive when Halle busted out laughing at him. "You... Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not interested in men either!"

Halle only laughed harder at the angry look on his face, and her cute laugh reverberated throughout the dance hall as she tried to cover her mouth with her hand. "You said it, not me!"

Prince Joshua exhaled sharply and shook his head, and a smile found its way to his lips as he took a sip of his wine. "Don't worry. I'm not angry." He wore an unusually gentle smile on his face, and Halle relaxed as she sipped her own drink. His next words were soft, and they were so quiet Halle could barely hear them as his face fell into a depressing look. "I'm not really interested in other people..."

Halle stared at the look on his face which had her feeling a little sad herself. "What...?"

Before Prince Joshua could even respond, a beautiful lady approached him. "Would you care to dance, Your Highness?"

Halle's shoulders fell a little as she watched the woman ask him to dance. Darn... Just when she was starting to enjoy drinking with him, too. She was feeling a little disappointed as she moved away to give them space when Prince Joshua suddenly called out to her.

"Hey, where are you going!?" Prince Joshua sounded a little irritated as he suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, then pulled her back over to him.

"I...what?" Halle stared at Prince Joshua in complete and utter shock as she watched what happened next.

He turned to the lady with an expressionless look on his face. "I'm sorry, but I am having a drink with her at the moment. Please ask someone else."

Halle nearly broke her jaw in shock from how rudely he refused the woman. She was expecting him to accept her invitation just like how Prince Roberto always did, _not_ turn her down.

The lady's mouth drew a thin line at his refusal, and she walked away again. Halle felt her stomach flutter slightly in response, which only had her feeling very confused as a result. What in the world had just happened...?

"...is that all right?" Halle nervously approached the subject, watching the angry woman disappear into the crowd.

"What's that?" Prince Joshua snapped back into the conversation suddenly, not having heard her.

"That woman just now..." Halle pointed in the direction she stormed off in, letting the words roll off her tongue quietly in confusion.

Prince Joshua didn't even bother to let her finish before abruptly cutting her off, completely unconcerned. "It's been awhile since I was able to drink with someone like this..." He smiled genuinely at her, and Halle couldn't help but smile back.

That's right, all she should be thinking about right now is enjoying her time with Prince Joshua. After all, she _was_ leaving to go back home tomorrow morning...

And so, strung along by Prince Joshua's kind smile, she consumed glass after glass of delicious red wine.

* * *

 **Huh... I guess I'm just in the mood to write some more today XD what did you guys think of the party? It's not even over yet! I sorta had to split this into three parts so my chapters would be between 2500-4000 words rather than 8000 or more...**

 **Phew. Writing about Halle's grumpy butt is exhausting, even though I'm basically just writing about myself to be completely honest XD look forward to chapter eleven! It's an exciting one, I assure you. And it's also the final part of this party three-parter, thank god XD**

 **PS: smoressi, I don't know who you are, but I will find you and hug you super tight for your fantastic reviews. They're literally the only reason I updated two chapters so quickly, because I just felt incredibly motivated to write more of this story after reading them. Thank you so much girlie! You're literally the sweetest person ever.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

...

What...happened?

Halle's grip on reality had slipped, and she remembered feeling herself begin to sway at the party. She had been drinking wine with Prince Joshua, and amidst her clouded memories, Halle had recalled someone picking her up in their arms. That person's hold on her was gentle as they carried her somewhere.

Who...?

Halle stirred slightly in her half-conscious state, and she snapped open her eyes in sudden alarm. Why was she lying in her bed back in her room!? When did she even...? Agh...

Halle abruptly sat up in bed, and she noticed she was still wearing the dress from the night before. Or perhaps it was now just later that same night? It was pitch black outside, and the clock showed it was around eleven at night. Halle had been lying on top of her bed with the same blanket from before placed on top of her, and that immediately had her curiosity piqued.

This was the blanket that Prince Joshua used to...

She didn't even bother to finish that thought, and Halle instantly got up from her bed and checked herself in the mirror once before leaving the room with the blanket in her hand.

* * *

Halle started off down the corridor when she heard dance music being played somewhere nearby. Huh... That was odd. Perhaps the party was still going? She guessed Prince Joshua would still be there entertaining his guests then, and she kept walking in that direction when suddenly a dull thud reached her ears.

Halle froze in her tracks and looked to her right at the door she stood in front of: Prince Joshua's office.

"No way..." Halle shot the door a scrutinizing look as she cautiously approached the door, and she gently knocked on it. When there came no answer, she lightly pushed it open and invited herself in, just as she had done last time. "Excuse me, Your Highness, are you in here...?"

As she predicted, Prince Joshua was lying on the floor in the same position as before, still sound asleep after rolling off the couch.

Halle scoffed a little as she looked at him, and she shook her head a little. "I just don't get you, Prince Joshua..." She knelt down on the floor beside him, and she carefully draped the blanket she was holding over him as she stared at his oddly peaceful-looking face.

Despite her attempts to not wake him up, Prince Joshua's eyes slowly fluttered open when he felt the blanket cover him, and he instantly looked at Halle as his vision began to adjust. "Mm... Oh, you're awake..."

Halle just chuckled adorably at his very tired observation. "So are you, it seems. And you will catch a cold if you sleep on the floor like that..."

Prince Joshua's eyebrows knitted together at he shot her a wry smile. "You're one to talk." He slowly sat up from the floor and moved himself back up to the sofa. "I drank a bit too much tonight... Are you all right, Halle?"

"Honestly, I overdid it too..." Halle rubbed at her forehead tiredly. "I'm much more like myself now though after having lied down for a bit."

Prince Joshua just smiled after hearing that. "That's good. Back at the party, I thought you were just going to sit down in a chair when you suddenly just started to fall asleep."

"What!?" Halle almost yelped a little in surprise, and she slapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. "I fell asleep at the _party!?"_

Prince Joshua's eyes widened as he looked at her, not having realized that she didn't know. "Don't you remember?"

"No..." Halle trailed off a little, shaking her head. "When I came to, I saw that I had somehow made it back to my bed... I wasn't really sure _what_ had happened."

Prince Joshua drew his lips into a thin line as he scoffed lightly in response to her silly, blurted-out thought. "You make it sound as if you were sleepwalking."

"Sleepwalking...?" Halle knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, and her face suddenly grew red at she stared at Prince Joshua embarrassingly with her widened brown eyes. "D-don't tell me you carried me all the way to my room...!?"

His eyebrows twitched as she spoke, and Prince Joshua just laughed at her. "Why me? There's no way I would do something like that." He let his eyes linger on her for a moment as he studied her expression, finding her reactions to be amusing as always.

"Oh..." Halle stared down at her lap at his rejection, a little confused now. Now all she could think about was what that feeling she had of someone carrying her really was...

"Shouldn't you go back to your room and rest?" Prince Joshua pulled the blanket around himself a little as he shot her a tied look. "You did have a lot to drink."

"Your Highness too." Halle twisted her mouth into a displeased frown, and she rose an eyebrow at him critically like a mother would do to her own child. "If you are going to sleep, you should do it in a _bed."_

"Really..." Prince Joshua scoffed a little, and he stared off to the side of the room at nothing in particular. "You don't gain anything by worrying about me. You should only think about yourself."

Halle smirked wryly at his somber statement, finding it completely amusing because it was just so like _him_ to think of it like that. "Telling me what to do is completely useless, you know." She folded her arms across the couch cushion and rested her head on top of them, grinning up at Prince Joshua mischievously. "In case you haven't realized this by now, I don't particularly listen when others tell me what to do." She grinned brighter at the stunned look on Prince Joshua's face, and she just kept going. "And, I am also just the type of person who worries about others unselfish reasons, so you should just get used to it." She laughed a little at the look on his face, and she winked flirtatiously to him briefly. "Someday you'll see it my way. I _am_ a lawyer, after all. I'm a very persuasive woman."

Prince Joshua was starting to get used to this strange woman stunning him into silence with her words, but he could honestly say that she had never before shocked him more than she had just now. He stared at her with the widest eyes ever, completely shell-shocked. It took him a good minute to regain his thoughts, and once he did, he lightly smiled at her. "I suppose I should be the one listening to you this time..."

Halle smiled when he gave in to her, and she took in one deep breath as she relaxingly shut her eyes for a moment. "This is probably the last time I will be able to speak to Your Highness like this." She spoke without thinking, and Prince Joshua smiled sadly as he laid down on the sofa.

"I was just getting used to having you around." He looked at her longingly, masking his true thoughts and feelings behind his deep purple eyes.

"Wha..." Halle's words got caught in her throat as she blinked back her shock, staring at him owlishly.

Prince Joshua didn't remove his gaze from her even for a second. "It's going to be strange not having someone here pestering me all the time..." There was a sad look in his eyes as he stared down at her, and it felt like a stab to the heart for Halle to see those sad eyes of his. "You're troublesome to have around, and yet I feel troubled that you are going away..." Prince Joshua laughed cynically under his breath. "I can't win either way..."

Halle was stunned into silence as she looked at Prince Joshua's face; her eyes swam with utter confusion. Was he trying to tell her that he'd be sad to see her go?

"I'm planning on going to the party at Nobel Michel Castle tomorrow..." Prince Joshua nonchalantly changed the subject, successfully pulling Halle from her thoughts and putting and end to that awkward silence that sat between them. "You should come too."

"What?" Halle blinked at Prince Joshua, at a loss for a response. Why did he want _her_ to go to a party? Her, of all people...?

"I'll give you a lift." Prince Joshua wouldn't take no for an answer as he got comfortable on the couch, and the tiredness returned to his face as he let himself relax a little.

"But..." Halle rose her pointer finger up to protest, not really sure how to answer this.

If she said no, it would be awkward. But, if she said yes, she could spend a little more time with him... Even if it meant tolerating one more miserable party.

Prince Joshua smiled shyly, and Halle's heart gradually began to beat faster. "I'm sure the other princes will be happy to see you, though I know I made the mistake of thinking you were a noblewoman in the first place..."

"Prince Joshua..." Halle's eyes fluttered awkwardly to stare down at the floor, and she found herself unable to look at him any longer.

Faced with his smile, she felt as if she never wanted to leave.

And that _terrified_ her _._

* * *

Halle made whatever excuse was necessary and ran out of that office as fast as she could. As soon as she shut the door to Prince Joshua's office behind her, she slammed her back against it and slowly slid down to the floor where she melted into a pathetic little puddle on the tile flooring.

"No, no, no..." Halle cursed herself as she pressed her hands firmly over her heart, internally scolding herself. "No, I can't let this happen..."

No matter _what_ Halle did, she couldn't calm her racing heart. No man had _ever_ made her feel this way just by being around him, and it _terrified_ her. She could see exactly where this was going, and she couldn't let this happen. The things she felt when just _talking_ to Prince Joshua were all new to her, and it completely terrified her. The last time she met someone she cared for this much was Prince Roberto, who was really her only friend actively in her life, and meeting him was just a happy accident. She hadn't planned on befriending him, but fate had other ideas... Honestly, she planned to live her life alone, and constantly distance herself from anyone who tried to get close.

The hatred that lied in her heart was too strong to just get rid of, and it was toxic. It made Halle sick because it was just always there, constantly poisoning her... And it didn't positively effect anyone around her, either. More often than not, it always chased them away, one way or another... She didn't want this to happen to Prince Joshua and her.

Her hatred consumed her soul on a daily basis, and her thoughts were always occupied by it. Because of that hatred she developed so young, she also had grown a strong sense of justice, and that was why she became a lawyer. Halle would do _anything_ to put criminals behind bars. And not because it was the right thing to do, but because they were scum, and she couldn't stand to let scumbags like them roam free on the streets just to do others harm, like they did to her. Scumbags like _him_.

She couldn't let herself get close to anyone else, _especially_ Prince Joshua... She had really started to grow fond of him over these past few weeks, and that just made this all so much harder. Especially since he was very confusing, and he did a very good job at making her feel unsure of her own feelings.

She had to leave, for both their sakes.

Halle felt a stray tear roll down her cheek, and she sniffled a little as she picked herself up off the floor and ran towards her room as fast as she could. "Anyone who gets close enough to me just always gets hurt... I can't do that to him. Not him..."

* * *

 **XD I feel so bad for not updating in like...a month. Sorry guys! I got really caught up in the excitement of working on my Metro PD fanfiction, _Catch Me_ _If I Fall_ , so I haven't been working on this one as much. Sorry about that! I'll start to get back on my game now, I promise. **

**So anyways, let's talk about Halle and Prince Joshua...**

 **AHHHHHHHHHHHH! I think we all know what's kinda going on here, although we're sorta in that awkward, straight-up denial stage on one end, and on the other we've got an intense case of the _"this is never going to happen,"_ kind of denial. Yikes. This might end in flames, but I guess there's only one way for you guys to find out... :3**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	12. Chapter 12

"We have a large number of guests due to the party held yesterday, so we have prepared a continental style breakfast out in the courtyard."

"..."

"Will you be joining the other guests in the courtyard?"

"..."

"...Miss Halle?"

"Huh?" Halle shook her head and snapped her eyes wide open, staring at Jan before her in bewilderment. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jan... I completely spaced out there for a moment." She frowned deeply as she looked completely apologetic.

Jan's expression faltered slightly, and he worriedly peered into her eyes. "Miss Halle... Is everything alright?"

Halle rubbed at the dark circles under her eyes, and she crossed her bedroom over to her makeup table. "Yes, I'm fine." She flat-out lied convincingly, masking her true depressing feelings that weighed down her heart presently. "I suppose that I am just tired this morning after last night's party."

"I suppose that is understandable..." Jan frowned a little, continuing to worry about the young woman's well-being as she applied makeup to the skin underneath her eyes, attempting to hide her insomnia and look cheerful. "So, if you don't mind me asking... About breakfast..."

"Oh, that's right. I haven't given you a proper answer yet." Halle unraveled her messy, braided hair and began brushing through it, and she pulled her gorgeous brown hair down over her left shoulder in a cascade of wavy curls. "I suppose I'll... Actually..." Halle paused her train of thought, and she turned and looked to Jan from where she stood. "Where will Prince Joshua be eating breakfast this morning?"

Jan's typical smile returned to his face as he found himself genuinely happy with Halle's interest in his master's whereabouts. "He will be taking breakfast in the dining hall, just as usual..."

Halle pulled her light pink sweater over her white undershirt, rubbing her arms mechanically as she tried to warm herself up. "I actually would like to join him for breakfast, if that is possible..."

Jan grinned brightly upon hearing Halle's request, and he bowed a little out of respect. "Understood. I will arrange for your breakfast as well."

Halle found herself smiling brightly at Jan for the first time in a long while, feeling very grateful for his constant kindness towards her. "Thank you, Jan..."

* * *

Halle stretched her arms upwards as she stepped from her room, and the sound of her black high heels clicking against the marble flooring filled the entire corridor. She was making her way towards the dining hall she had eaten breakfast in for the past two weeks when she crossed paths with someone she recognized.

She stopped right where she stood when she saw who it was, and he caught sight of her and smiled.

"Hello." Prince Edward approached her with a kind smile on his face, and he was dressed in a casual blue and white striped hoodie and white jeans. "Were you here for the party?"

Oh, right... Prince Edward didn't know that she had been staying here, as well as the other princes, with the exception of Princes Roberto and Wilfred.

Halle grinned awkwardly as she greeted Charles' crowned prince. "Good morning, Your Highness. Thank you for your hospitality at the last party..."

"Don't mention it." His smile was warm and soft, and his lavender eyes were inviting; polar opposite to Prince Joshua's typical facial expressions. "I had wondered what had happened to you after that night, but I didn't think I would run into you here..." He drew closer and romantically took Halle by the hand. "It must be fate."

"Aha ha...hah..." Halle laughed awkwardly, not really knowing what to say to that.

He must have sensed her hesitance, because Prince Edward drew back a little as his kind smile only grew kinder. "My apologies. I am just happy to see you again." He suddenly looked in the direction she was going in, then looked back at her. "Are you on your way to breakfast? If so, would it be all right for me to join you?"

Halle hesitated a little, wondering what to say to that exactly, since she was going down to eat with Prince Joshua rather than the other guests...

"Oh, actually... I'm sorry." Halle smiled awkwardly, trying to appear sincere. "I have already had breakfast this morning. I thank you for your offer though, Your Highness."

Prince Edward's eyes wavered at this news, and he was obviously disappointed with her answer, yet he understood. "I see... That is a shame." His smile returned to his face as he looked down at the petite young woman before him. "Perhaps next time?"

Halle looked very guilty as she spoke. "Yes... Perhaps next time."

"You needn't look like that." Prince Edward chuckled a little under his breath and his eyes crinkled a little as he naturally smiled. "It doesn't suit you." He let go of her hand and kept his positive grin on his face. "I look forward to the next time we meet, Halle."

Halle was about to respond to that when she felt the weight of someone's arm suddenly be rested on top of her head, and she narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she turned to face this person. "Robbie, cut it out! I'm not an arm rest!" Halle reprimanded Prince Roberto as she jerked his arm off of her head, which only caused the Altaria prince to laugh.

"Morning, Halle!" Prince Roberto completely ignored the angry look on her face as he greeted his friend with the biggest smile he could muster. "Are you on your way to breakfast?"

Prince Edward answered for her. "She's apparently already had hers."

"Oh, okay." Prince Roberto's mouth fell open as he listened to Prince Edward, and he worriedly turned to look at Halle as he remembered something. "Oh yeah, Halle, how are you feeling after last night?"

Halle was confused by the question, and she unconsciously tilted her head to the side like a lost puppy. "Last night...? What do you mean?"

"Yeah, you seemed to have had too much to drink or something." Prince Roberto smiled casually, and he shoved his hands into his brown jacket's pockets.

Halle blinked at him owlishly, starting to put the pieces of this puzzle together. "Why do you say that?"

Prince Roberto's mouth fell open in surprise once more as he looked at her with widened eyes. "Well, Prince Joshua _did_ need to carry you off like that, so..."

Halle's face grew as hot as the sun at these words. "Prince Joshua did WHAT!?" She involuntarily shrieked as she slapped her hands over her mouth, causing both princes before her to bust out laughing at her uncouth reaction.

"Well, I didn't see your face..." Prince Roberto smirked a little, taking this opportunity to tease her. "...but I caught a glimpse of Prince Joshua carrying a woman with a dress similar to yours in his arms, and I figured it had to be you."

Halle thought back to her conversation with Prince Joshua from the night before as she stared down at the floor. "That liar..."

"Did you say something?" Prince Roberto rose an eyebrow to her, staring at her curiously.

"Oh, no, I..." Halle stumbled over her words in attempt to cover up her curt remark. "I'm sorry for my disgraceful conduct last night... I should have paid more close attention to how much wine I consumed."

"Don't mention it." Prince Roberto waved her off, seemingly unconcerned. Prince Edward appeared to feel the same way based on the relaxed smile he wore. "You know, Halle, Prince Joshua seems to be quite taken with you."

Halle's face flushed red as a strangely depressed look crossed Prince Edward's face. "Is that so?" His tone was quiet, weighed down with heavy disappointment.

"Ohoho..." Prince Roberto laughed bemusedly, winking at Prince Edward like the total goofball he was. "Are you after Halle as well, Ed?"

Prince Edward took this teasing with good grace as he just smiled in response. "What could you possibly mean by that?" He turned and began ushering Prince Roberto away from Halle, successfully getting the spotlight off of him as he changed the subject. "We should go and have something to eat now, or we will be late for the party at Nobel Michel."

"Oh, right..." Prince Roberto seemed to have been effectively distracted by Prince Edward's sound reasoning, and he smiled and waved good-bye to Halle as he walked away. "See you later, Halle."

Halle watched as the two disappeared from the corridor, and she couldn't help but compare those two to the other princes she had come to know in the past few weeks. They were all princes too, but quite different to Prince Joshua... In like, every single way possible.

Halle smiled to herself as she resumed walking to the dining hall, not realizing she looked completely smitten to anyone passing by her as she thought of the unique and mysterious Prince Joshua. "What a weirdo..."

* * *

"I was just about to go looking for you." Jan sighed in relief as soon as Halle stepped into the dining hall, glad to see that she was here now.

"I'm sorry for being a bit late..." Halle shrugged apologetically, twisting a piece of her hair around her finger nervously.

Prince Joshua's low voice echoed through the room as he looked at her. "Were you feeling sick?"

Halle widened her eyes slightly before she vigorously shook her head. "Oh, no. Not at all. I just ran into Prince Edward and Robbie in the hallway, and they kept me occupied for a little longer than I intended..."

Prince Joshua nodded his head a little as he accepted this reason, and Jan stepped up to him and looked down at his plate as he spoke. "Shall I have your meal made fresh for Your Highness?"

"No, it's fine." Prince Joshua shook his head, instantly dismissing his question.

Jan frowned just a little while his eyebrows knitted together with worry. "But it must be cold..."

Halle stared at the two quizzically for a moment, confused as to what was going on. Prince Joshua's breakfast was cold...?

"I said it's fine." Prince Joshua bitterly waved Jan off, ignoring him as usual.

Jan shrank back a little and retreated to his position. "Understood..." He turned to Halle as she finished listening to their conversation, and his eyes grew wide as he appeared to remember something. "I shall have your breakfast brought out in just a moment, Miss Halle."

"Thank you." Halle responded mechanically as she stared at Prince Joshua's meal, and she slowly sat down in her chair at the table next to him. He hadn't touched it at all, and just as Jan said, it appeared to have gone cold. Was he waiting for her...?

But Prince Joshua seemed not to care as he stared out of the window. Halle noticed that there was something different about him today, and she was a little worried. However, her thoughts were interrupted by Jan coming back into the room with her breakfast.

"Thank you for your patience." Jan placed the plate delicately down in front of her, smiling as usual.

"Thank you." Halle grinned with excitement as she eyed the amazing breakfast before her. She was really going to miss the luxurious food here after she left... "This looks great."

Halle started to eat, and Prince Joshua did the same. He really _was_ waiting for her...

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting..." Halle's lips turned down into a slight frown, and she awkwardly glanced at Prince Joshua as she spoke.

Prince Joshua stopped eating to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"Oh." Halle blinked repeatedly, caught off guard by his response. "I thought you had perhaps been waiting for me..."

Prince Joshua sighed, and his expression faltered as it reflected a look that of sadness and disappointment. "Well, today _is_ the last time we can eat together like this..."

Halle felt like it was impossible to breathe as she looked at his saddened face, and she lowered her head slightly. "That's true..."

And with that, they both returned to their meals, eating them mechanically as silence was cast over the room once more. It was no longer an awkward silence, though. Actually, to Halle, the silence felt more like a comfortable silence now, if anything.

However, she quickly noticed something was missing from the breakfast table.

Halle looked over at Prince Joshua curiously, a little interested. "Are you not going to read the paper today, Your Highness?"

Prince Joshua just snorted derisively at her innocent question. "I forgot to bring it."

Jan reacted immediately to Prince Joshua's reply with a smile on his face. "Shall I have it brought to you?"

Prince Joshua lowered his brow, and his mouth opened slightly as he frowned. "Oh, no..."

"Sorry?" Jan thought he didn't hear that quite right, and he strained to hear his master some more.

"It's fine..." Prince Joshua prodded his food with his fork, losing his appetite as this conversation continued.

Jan's jaw fell to the floor, and he was completely unable to comprehend this sudden change in his master's behavior. "Are you sure? It isn't like Your Highness to be so reserved."

Jan's tone was a little forced, and Prince Joshua's cheeks flushed a little red at the comment. "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" He cleared his throat as he shot his butler a harsh glare.

 _"Doing what...?"_ Halle thought to herself, staring at the two's exchange with an odd look on her face. "Please don't feel like you need to refrain from reading the paper on my account..." She awkwardly stared down at her lap, successfully snapping the two boys out of their stare down with one another.

Prince Joshua glanced back at her, completely expressionless as if to hide what he was feeling at present. "You were the one who told me I shouldn't read it that other time."

Halle's eye involuntarily twitched as she pulled her lips into a sideways frown. "I _believe_ I said that it would be better if you didn't read it at the breakfast table."

Prince Joshua used his hands to gesture to himself. "And so I'm not reading it."

"What?" She gave him the weirdest look ever before retracing her gaze back to her plate. "Well, that's good then, I guess..."

"You guess?" Prince Joshua's expression fell once again into an even _more_ depressed look, if that was possible. "First you tell me _not_ to read it, then you make a fuss if I don't. You are a difficult woman."

After he said that, his face was once again devoid of any emotion as he continued to eat his breakfast.

Halle felt oddly pleased with that odd compliment, if you could even call it that. She smiled softly to herself as she thought about how he waited for her because it was their last meal together, and now he wasn't reading the newspaper for her sake...

...since when did Prince Joshua listen to what a woman, and a _commoner_ , no less, had to say?

Halle was so filled with emotion that she couldn't take another bite of her food. It was only for a short while, and it was quite torturous at first, but...she was so glad that she came here.

Prince Joshua caught her staring at him, and he stared at her oddly. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, it's nothing." Halle shook her head, turning her gaze back down to the table.

* * *

 **Finally, Halle's "visit" to Dres Van is coming to an end. Wow, she's been there awhile. I think she's actually been there since the end of chapter four, if I'm not mistaken XD dang...**

 **So, now that we're leaving Dres Van, and our princess is on her way to the next ball at Nobel Michel Castle, she'll return to her normal life living as a commoner. We'll get to see Halle work some more court cases, and very interesting ones at that, so that's exciting! We haven't gotten to see her be much of a lawyer lately because of her little...er, "situation," but Halle will be getting back into her game very soon.**

 **So, to anyone who played any of Roberto's stories, you know a bit about Altaria, the royal family, and then of course there's Cynthia, who you will be introduced to soon XDDDDD we'll be getting to know Halle a lot better after she gets back home to Altaria. But the question is...**

 **Will she be staying there long?**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	13. Chapter 13

Several hours later, Halle found herself in the limousine with Prince Joshua, finally leaving Dres Van after two _very_ eventful, crazy weeks. It felt like she was there forever, and yet at the same time, no time at all. Halle looked out the window at Dres Van Manor growing smaller and smaller behind them in the distance, and as she was thinking back on everything that happened, she did feel a little sad.

"What's the matter?"

Halle spun around at being addressed so suddenly, and she was faced directly with Prince Joshua, who was once again dressed in his country's formal white and gold attire.

She was met with his kind stare, and Prince Joshua laughed a little with a genuine smile. "Are you just happy to finally be going home?"

Halle batted her hand as a flustered expression came up on her face. "That's not it at all!" She sighed deeply, frustrated a little as she decided to enjoy teasing him for what would probably be the last time. "It must be Your Highness that is happy I'm going." She smiled bitterly, feeling a little dejected.

"Me? But I..." Prince Joshua's look of amusement was completely slapped off his face as her comment took him by surprise. He turned to look out the window with a saddened look on his face. "What I want doesn't matter."

Halle internally kicked herself for making her last moments with Prince Joshua end on such an awkward moment, and she looked down at what she was wearing. She was dressed in her same dress from the night before, and they were on their way to the party at Nobel Michel Castle.

"Um...thank you so much for this dress." Halle grabbed at the fabric with her fingers, rubbing her fingertips over its soft texture. "Are you sure it is all right for me to keep it?"

It looked really expensive, and Halle was a little worried about keeping such a beautiful dress.

"It's fine." Prince Joshua returned to his typical expressionless self as he dismissed her concern casually. "I ordered it for you. If you say you don't want it, then I would only end up throwing it away."

"What!?" Halle's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as her jaw practically snapped off. "You'd throw something like this away!?" She reacted automatically, and Prince Joshua looked surprised by her outburst.

"W-what!?" He stared at her with the widest eyes he could fathom, completely caught off guard by that.

"S-sorry..." Halle awkwardly apologized, covering her mouth with her gloved hand. "It would just be such a waste to throw away something so expensive..."

Prince Joshua spoke quietly with a depressed frown on his face. "That is why I asked you to take it..."

...oh, right.

Halle wanted to slap herself for being such an awkward idiot, but instead, she forced a smile and nodded her head. "Then I thank you and receive it gladly."

She was perfectly assertive and confident when she was in court defending a client, but when she was just having normal conversations with people, Halle was just...well, somewhat awkward. Especially around Prince Joshua, for reasons she didn't quite understand herself.

Prince Joshua took one glance at the look on Halle's face and just laughed in amusement. "I had already told you that."

Halle cast her eyes down, and she remembered something as she did so: she still hadn't thanked him for carrying her to her room last night.

"Thank you for everything you did last night." Halle smiled to him awkwardly, and Prince Joshua was frozen in place by the impossibly cute look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Prince Joshua feigned innocence, looking surprised.

Halle grinned wryly, shooting him a sideways glance from where she sat beside him. "I heard it was Your Highness who carried me to my room last night."

Prince Joshua turned to look at Jan accusingly, who just smiled as he stared back at the prince in amusement. "I know nothing about it." Jan casually shook his head. "Did that really happen?"

Prince Joshua cleared his throat and turned back to awkwardly glance at Halle. "Who told you that?"

"Well..." Halle reflected on her conversation with Prince Roberto this morning as she spoke. "It was someone who said they saw you in the corridor." She spoke ambiguously, which only caused Prince Joshua to frown at her.

"They must be mistaken." Prince Joshua continued to deny everything, refusing to admit it even though Halle knew for sure that it was true. "And you shouldn't be blaming me for your sleepwalking."

Halle couldn't even form a response to that in time before a soft chuckle filled the space around both her and the prince.

Jan hadn't been able to control himself any longer, and for once, he didn't hold back as he busted out laughing. A wide smile stretched across his face, and he continued to laugh as Prince Joshua frowned at the sight of him.

"What's so funny, Jan?" Prince Joshua gritted his teeth together angrily as he barked at his butler.

"Nothing..." Jan went tight-lipped and killed his laughter, smiling wickedly as he did so.

Prince Joshua stared at Jan's subtle, sly grin, and he drew his head back a little cautiously. "You are a strange person sometimes..."

Prince Joshua turned his attention to the window once more, and Jan flashed Halle a grin as he mouthed to her the words, _"he's not very honest, is he?"_

Halle stifled her laughter as she mouth the words, _"not at all,"_ back to Jan with an amused grin stretched across her face.

"What are you two whispering about!?" Prince Joshua whipped his head around unnaturally fast, shooting the two accusing glares.

"Nothing." Halle shook her head confidently, then decided to try and use a little of her witness interrogation tricks she used for her job on Prince Joshua and change the subject. Perhaps if she was on lawyer-mode she would have an easier time talking to him? "Prince Joshua... Could I ask you to tell me a bit more about Dres Van?"

Prince Joshua's angry look melted into one that of shock as his purple eyes grew wide. "You want to know more about the kingdom...?"

"Yes." Halle grinned brightly, speaking honestly. "I know everything about Altaria and its laws, but nothing about Dres Van. I want to know as much as I can before I go home."

"I suppose I could..." Prince Joshua's gaze faltered slightly, a little hesitant to respond to her question at first. However, the more he talked, the more enthusiastic he became. Halle could tell he loved his country very much by the look on his face, and by how excited he was just talking about it.

Halle listened to him say something about the traditional snacks that were custom in Dres Van, and her curiosity was piqued. "Is that so...? We have rice balls where I come from."

"Rice balls?" Prince Joshua looked at her curiously. "What are they?"

Halle was baffled that he had never heard of them, and she motioned with her hands the way you made them as she described the snack food. "Well, you make a triangle out of some rice like this..."

"With rice?" Prince Joshua was not convinced as he warily drew his head back away from her. "You are just pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"Not at all!" Halle involuntarily yelled a little, laughing as she exclaimed. "It's an actual food!"

"Haha, all right then..." Prince Joshua's face lit up with a bright, genuine smile as he laughed. "I'll have to try one when I have the chance."

"Please do." Halle grinned victoriously, crossing her arms over her chest.

Prince Joshua looked handsome with his usual dignified expression, but Halle liked his smile the best. She was grateful that their last moments together were enjoyable.

Their limousine grew closer to Nobel Michel Castle, and Halle sensed that the time to say good-bye was nearing as they closed in on their destination.

* * *

Wow, it was just as magnificent as she remembered.

The party at Nobel Michel Castle was already underway when Halle and Prince Joshua arrived, arm in arm as the young prince escorted the lawyer through the ballroom. Almost instantly upon entering the hall they ran into Prince Keith, who was frowning at the two of them.

"I didn't expect to see you here with a commoner, Prince Joshua." Prince Keith's words were laced with sarcasm as he spoke.

Prince Joshua seemed annoyed for a moment before responding brightly with a faint smile. "She is an important guest of mine."

 _"You_ had a guest? At Dres Van?" Prince Glenn turned around when he heard that, having the most intensely bewildered look on his face as he locked eyes with Prince Joshua. He laughed a little as he spoke. "That doesn't sound like you."

Prince Joshua screwed up his face at that remark and let go of Halle's hand, turning his head away indifferently. "I don't take any pleasure from it."

Halle stared at Prince Joshua completely awe-struck as she placed the hand he was just holding before over her heart, almost looking a little wounded from his sudden coldness.

"This is as far as I intended to go." Prince Joshua took in a breath to calm himself, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I don't plan on keeping her as an escort for the rest of the evening."

Halle was too shocked by his sudden cold manner to say anything, but she didn't have to, because a soft voice nearby quickly cut into the conversation.

"Then you won't mind if I take her off your hands?"

Halle turned slightly to see Prince Roberto practically skip over to them, and he came to a stop next to her as he swung an arm over her shoulders.

"Prince Roberto..." Prince Joshua tilted his chin up slightly as he eyed his arm draped over Halle's shoulders, not quite sure how he felt about the prince's usual friendliness.

"Are you sure you wish to part ways now?" Prince Roberto's smile never left his face as he shot Prince Joshua a questioning glance, prodding into the purple-haired prince's thoughts just a little. "She'll be coming home with me after this, you know."

Prince Joshua's face twitched slightly at those words, but all he did was just turn away. "It's fine. I'll leave her in your hands, Prince Roberto."

Halle shook off Prince Roberto's arm and stepped forward, not wanting him to go just yet as she called out to his back. "Prince Joshua!"

Prince Joshua came to a complete halt for a moment, briefly pausing before turning his head over his shoulder to look back at her. "What?"

Halle opened and closed her mouth awkwardly like a fish, losing her nerve to speak up when she looked at those unwavering eyes of his. "Umm... Well, thank you for everything."

Prince Joshua left without a word, and Halle felt almost a little depressed as she watched him go.

"And there he goes..." Prince Roberto sighed, then dramatically whirled his head around to look at both princes Glenn and Keith. "...and all because someone decided it would be fun to tease him."

Prince Glenn and Prince Keith wore identically incredulous looks on their faces.

"Are you trying to say that it is our fault?" Prince Keith drew his head back a little, a little appalled as he quickly got on the defensive.

Prince Glenn frowned a little as he retreated into his thoughts. "I said nothing but the truth..."

"It doesn't bother me, but, for Halle..." Prince Roberto listened to them plead their cases before sighing and turning back to the girl in question. "This is possibly the last party she will be able to attend with Prince Joshua." He appeared to be a little concerned as he looked upon Halle's sad face, and she only smiled back at him in return.

"It's fine, Robbie." Halle waved him off, smiling as she buried her confusing feelings deep within her. "We had a good time in the car on the way here."

"Really?" Prince Roberto's face lit up with a grin at that. "In that case, I'd better show you an even better time tonight!"

And she truly did have an enjoyable evening with Prince Roberto, just as she always did. And, for the rest of the evening, Halle tried to figure out what the confusing feeling of sadness was that had suddenly hitched a ride with her the moment Prince Joshua had left.

* * *

"Robbie, what are you doing!?" Halle pulled Prince Roberto aside into one of the many rooms in the palace, making sure they were alone as she closed the door behind them.

Prince Roberto played innocent as he calmly looked around the room and avoided her angry glare. "Oh, whatever do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Halle narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "Stop making everything you say to Prince Joshua sound so suggestive! He's going to get the wrong idea about us!"

Prince Roberto just rolled his eyes. "What, would it really be so bad if he thought we were an item?"

Halle glared at him even harder, growing tense all over. "If you don't be careful about how you act around me, someone is bound to find out that I'm not your friend, and I'm actually your little _sister!"_

Prince Roberto just sighed, and he crossed the room back over to Halle to pat her head reassuringly. "Come on, Halle, they're bound to find out eventually! We have the same hair color and eyes, for God's sake." He smiled depreciatingly as he looked down at her. "Can't we just tell the other princes instead of being so secretive about it?"

"No!" Halle instantly slapped his arm, completely furious with his recklessness. "Five years ago when I was banished from Villa Altaria, I was forced to take an oath to never breath a word that the King is my biological father! Doing so would result in a scandal, and who _knows_ what the King would do!"

Prince Roberto sighed, knowing she was completely right. "Ugh... I know, but I just want to show you off to the world!" He suddenly reached out and pinched her cheeks while he wore a bright smile on his face. "You're just so cute, I want to tell everyone that you're my sister!"

Halle frowned as he continued to pinch her cheeks, just glaring at him completely. " _Half_ sister. If I was fully related to you I would probably _die."_

Prince Roberto frowned, pouting at that insult. "Ouch... Why must you be so mean to me, Halle?" He reached out and enveloped her in a tight hug, slightly cutting off her air. "All I do is love you!"

"Ack! Can't breathe!" Halle pried his arms off of her throat, pulling herself from Prince Roberto's grasp. "Anyways, Robbie, that is beside the point! We have to keep our relation a secret. No one can know any of this, or it will result in a scandal!" She sighed a little, and she put her hands on the sides of his face. "Robbie, the only thing the world can ever know me as is your _friend_. That's just how it has to be."

Prince Roberto frowned just like a child as he slumped his shoulders. "I know..."

"And..." Halle shifted her mood once again, suddenly glaring at the prince. "Stop giving Prince Joshua the wrong idea by being overly flirty!"

Prince Roberto just smirked wickedly at her as a thought popped into his head. "Why not? If he thought you were taken, maybe he'd be more interested in you."

Halle dropped her jaw in shock, and she instantly reached out and smacked Prince Roberto on the arm. "Robbie!"

"Whaaaat?" Prince Roberto feigned innocence, and he grabbed the spot where she smacked him as he laughed. "You _do_ like him, don't you?"

Halle's face flared up bright red as she smacked Prince Roberto once more as a reflex. "Robbie, stop! There's no _way_ I could be with a prince like him!"

"Why not?" Prince Roberto shrugged his shoulders. "I think you two would be a good match. And, you technically _are_ royalty..." He laughed again when Halle smacked his arm once more. "And, I think you do like him, and you're just denying it! If you played the half-royalty card earlier, you wouldn't have had to stay in Dres Van with him for those few weeks and fill out all those papers." Prince Roberto smirked again as he got uncomfortably close to her face.

Halle crossed her arms bitterly as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Robbie, you know I can't just play that card, and I have to keep it a secret. I'm no better than any other commoner; I technically have no claim to the throne." She lightly shoved him a little, frowning as she did so. "I was born a commoner, and I was raised a commoner. I am by no means a royal."

"Except that your father is the current King of Altaria."

"ROBBIE SHUT UP!"

* * *

 **I AM ABSOLUTE TRASH. I am SO sorry guys! I haven't updated this in so long...**

 **(Great way to start an author's note, Serena...)**

 **Sorry sorry sorry! I've been working on like...five or six books at a time, and it took me awhile to get back to this one. I'm writing a bunch of voltage inc otome game fanfictions, and they're not just for Be My Princess anymore. I currently have ongoing books published for Metro PD, Kissed by the Baddest Bidder, and My Forged Wedding. I'm also in the process of planning another Be My Princess fanfic, as well as one for Gangsters in Love, After School Affairs, Finally in Love Again, and Love Letter From Thief X.**

 **Yeah, my book docket right now is like...super full.**

 **Anyways, THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY SHIT. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! I'll be updating this more frequently again now that I am out of high school. FOREVER 0-0**

 **...**

 **Oh yeah, probably should talk about what happened in this chapter, right?**

 **Yeahhhhh, Halle is Prince Roberto's half little sister. He's two years older, but has known that she's his half sister for five years now. They have the same father, but Halle's mother was just a commoner, who in a previous chapter was mentioned to be deceased. Halle, in a previous chapter, also makes it clear that her father is not part of her life, and she hates him completely. If you go back and read the book again, every subtle little thing will make so much more sense now XD how she got banished from the palace and that nightmare of her being locked in a cell still has not been explained, so stay tuned to find out the rest of the story!**

 **A lot to take in, I know XD just WAIT! Prince Joshua still has no idea she's half royal, and he still prejudices her for being a commoner XDDDDD I can't stop laughing just thinking about this.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	14. Chapter 14

Halle stepped out of the room and left Prince Roberto behind her and lightly closed the door, and she pressed her back firmly against it. She shut her eyes and sighed deeply, trying to relieve herself from the stress that conversation had caused her.

She and Prince Joshua? An item? No... That was completely unacceptable; it just couldn't happen. Dating a commoner when you were a prince was bad enough, but the bastard child of a current ruling King? That was even _worse_... You were like a mutt that didn't belong in either class; too poor and not noble enough to be a royal, but too royal to be common. That was why when Halle found out who her biological father was when she was eighteen, she decided to keep it a secret from everyone and just continue referring to herself as a commoner. It was safer that way, and not just for herself, but for everyone. She really never intended to meet Prince Roberto, her half brother, but when the prince found out that his father had had an affair with one of the palace maids and got her pregnant while his mother, the Queen, was sick and dying, Prince Roberto had tracked Halle down and wouldn't leave her alone until she heard him out. Although the young prince who was twenty at the time was disappointed in his father's infidelity, he was thrilled to learn that he had a little sister, although he did wish that they had met under better circumstances.

And so, over the past five years, Prince Roberto and Halle grew very close, and they masked their relation under the guise of being best friends to avoid suspicion. Because unfortunately for Halle, even though she couldn't choose who her parents were, she had to keep her pedigree a secret for the sake of the kingdom, because her father, the King, wanted nothing to do with her. And he made that _very_ clear when she tried to go and visit him the day she first found out who he was.

Just as these swarming thoughts left her mind, Halle stepped back into the hallway and contemplated whether or not she wanted to return to the ball. Before she had the chance to make her decision, however, she saw a panicked and worn out Jan come running towards her.

"Oh, Miss Halle!" Jan flagged her down, and he took a deep breath as he stopped in front of her. "Have you seen His Highness anywhere?"

Halle slowly shook her head no, growing slightly worried as their conversation progressed. "No... I haven't. Is something the matter?"

"I haven't seen him around for awhile..." Jan nervously glanced around him before looking back at the young lawyer. "He hasn't really eaten anything since breakfast, and I was wondering what could be the matter."

Halle's eyebrows shot up into her hairline upon hearing this, and she instantly was ready to jump in and take action. "Shall I help look for him?"

Jan just smiled at her offer. "No, it's fine. I'm sorry to have worried you while you are enjoying the party..."

Halle instantly just shook her head no with a bashful smile on her face. "Oh no, it's okay. I don't really enjoy parties anyways without Prince Josh-" She suddenly widened her eyes in shock and slapped her hand over her mouth, a little surprised by what she nearly admitted out loud to both herself _and_ Jan. "Er, um, I mean..."

Jan just smiled wryly and politely dismissed himself as he motioned to walk past her. "Please excuse me..."

As Halle watched him go, she got lost in her own thoughts once again. Prince Joshua hadn't eaten since this morning, huh? He just _had_ to be starving...

"Is something the matter, Miss Halle?"

Halle turned around at being addressed so suddenly, and she smiled when she laid her eyes upon Zain, Lord Michel's royal butler. "Oh, Zain... Have you seen His Highness, Prince Joshua anywhere?"

Zain cocked his head to the side as he thought over her question. "No, sorry... I don't believe I have. Is something the matter?"

"No, it's..." Halle suddenly paused as she got an idea, and she smiled at Zain. "Actually, would I be able to make use of your kitchen?"

* * *

One hour later...

Halle left the palace kitchen and began walking around in search of Prince Joshua. Wow, was that a nice kitchen... So much more luxurious than what she was used to working in at home, which was to be expected, she supposed; a palace kitchen and an apartment kitchen _would_ be very different. Halle wasn't a professional chef or anything, but she did know enough about cooking to take care of herself at home, and when she heard that Prince Joshua hadn't eaten anything since this morning, she went off to the palace kitchen to make him a little bento box of rice balls.

Halle stopped in her tracks at the end of the corridor, and she frowned a little as she looked both left and right. "I don't see him anywhere... Perhaps he already went home?"

She felt despondent at the thought and started to slump, when suddenly, she caught sight of Prince Roberto coming towards her.

"Hey, Halle!" Prince Roberto jogged up to her and stopped, smiling brightly at the young woman. "You heading home?"

"Yes..." Halle trailed off, a little lost in thought as she suddenly focused on Prince Roberto's profile. "Robbie, you haven't seen Prince Joshua, have you?"

Prince Roberto just smirked wryly at Halle's question. "Ooooh, now why do you ask? Did you want to give him a good-bye kiss or something?"

Halle's whole face erupted in a deep shade of red as she instinctively reached out and slapped the laughing prince's arm. "Of course not! Geez, Robbie!"

Prince Roberto just laughed even harder as he rubbed the spot on his arm that she smacked. "I believe he has already gone. I saw him leaving the castle just a few moments ago."

"What!?" Halle's eyes widened in shock as she immediately became alert. "Oh no! I have to catch him!"

Prince Roberto stumbled back as he watched her take off running past him, and he reached his hand out to stop her. "Wait, Halle!"

Prince Roberto's call fell on deaf ears as Halle took off running for the front of the palace, completely disregarding her high heels as she ran. She didn't even care if running dressed like she was was unconventional; she just had to get to Prince Joshua before it was too late.

Halle ran down the long, glorious front steps of the palace, being careful not to trip as she finally landed at the bottom. She looked off into the distance and spotted the tall form of a certain purple-haired prince, and she instantly shouted his name. "Prince Joshua!"

Prince Joshua turned his head to look as she called his name; his eyes slightly widened in shock as he spotted her. Halle ran over to him, completely disregarding her own exhaustion as she stopped just in front of him and tried to catch her breath.

Prince Joshua seemed slightly annoyed about something as he looked at her. "What's the matter?"

"Umm..." Halle suddenly felt herself growing awkward again, and she just abruptly held out the small bento to him in her hands and watched as he stared down at it. "Here."

Prince Joshua's eyebrows knitted together as he stared at the small box. "What is that?"

Halle just blinked owlishly as she plopped the box in his hands. "It's a rice ball."

"A rice ball...?" Prince Joshua looked lost for a moment before something suddenly dawned on him. "That thing we were talking about in the car earlier?" A kind smile spread across his face as he remembered.

"Yes." Halle nodded her head briefly with a smile.

Prince Joshua awkwardly averted her gaze as a tiny smile found its way to his lips. "I was unsure about what you wanted for a moment there..."

Halle felt relieved as she looked upon his face. "It was only for a short while, but I really enjoyed the time I spent with you in Dres Van."

Prince Joshua's eyes widened in shock, truly caught off guard by her statement. "You did?"

"Yes." Halle gave him her biggest, brightest smile to properly send him off, wearing it purposefully to hide her true feelings from him. "I am glad I had the chance to go to Dres Van and get to know you. So... Thank you."

A strange look came across Prince Joshua's face as he seemed to struggle for words. Instead, all he managed to say was, "Mm."

And with that non-committal sound, he got into the car without anything else said.

Halle watched him go, feeling more bummed than she was earlier for whatever reason. "It's a bit sad... This will be the last time I see him."

Prince Roberto came running down the stairs, and when he spotted the back of his little sister, he cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted to her. "Hey, Halle! We're going now!"

"Okay! I'm coming!" Halle turned and waved to the prince before glancing back as Prince Joshua's car started to disappear. "Good-bye, Prince Joshua..."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the car...

Jan turned to speak with his master. "What is that in your hand, Your Highness?"

Prince Joshua looked slightly troubled as his butler asked that. "Nothing... Just a gift..."

Jan was genuinely surprised by both Prince Joshua's sullen face and the statement. "From whom?"

Prince Joshua quietly mumbled, "Halle," as he opened the small bento box.

Jan looked puzzled as he saw its contents. "What is it?"

Prince Joshua stared down at the bento as he spoke. "A rice ball, apparently."

"A rice ball?" Jan tilted his head to the side as he stared at the peculiar snack food. "So...it's just a lump of rice?"

Prince Joshua picked one up and carefully examined it. "It looks like it." He stared at it decisively before taking a bite, and Jan let out the breath he had been holding as Prince Joshua whispered to him, "it's...warm..."

"Sorry?" Jan didn't quite catch that as he strained to hear his master.

Prince Joshua turned and looked out the window, staring at the view of Nobel Michel Castle that was growing smaller and smaller in the distance as he continued to eat the rice balls Halle had made for him. "I should be the one thanking _you_..."

And the young prince did, in fact, finish those rice balls the young woman had made for him. However, although his hunger was relieved by the sweet rice balls, Prince Joshua felt himself feeling emptier than ever before.

* * *

 **Aww, poor Prince Joshua; he misses her now that she's gone. And Halle's slightly in denial, but she's more like on the level of, "I know I have these feelings, but I'm just going to keep ignoring them until they go away." Prince Joshua, on the other hand-well, who KNOWS just what exactly he's thinking?**

 **Now that Halle's gone back home, I won't be picking right back up where the story left off, and you will get to experience Halle's normal life in Altaria as a lawyer for a bit! Finally, we'll get to see her take some cases, and even get to meet her crazy coworkers, like her ridiculous assistant Carrie, who I just KNOW you will love. Stay tuned to read more!**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	15. Chapter 15

It had been a week since Halle had returned home from Dres Van, and although Prince Joshua was kind enough to provide her with a new cell phone, that did not prevent her from getting behind on her cases while she was gone. Halle had returned to her law firm's office Garrison & Harper almost _instantly_ after her plane had landed, and she had been swamped with cases ever since. And now, she was about to tackle _another_ one.

"Ugh, this is impossible...!" Halle stressfully ran a hand through her hair as she combed over her client's file yet again, frustrated that she couldn't think of a way to win this case that she was going to court for in less than two hours.

Halle sat back in her desk chair and sighed, tossing the case file she snapped shut onto her desk as she looked around her office, trying to get some sort of idea for what to do next.

Halle's office was huge; one of the biggest in Garrison & Harper's building, thanks to her reputation as one of the firm's best lawyers. Not to mention that she was on track to become a partner at her firm soon. The entire back wall of her office was covered by bookshelves that reached the ceiling, each filled with books of laws and court cases history. To the far left was a tall rolling ladder, and Halle instantly walked over and climbed up it, beginning to gather a few books she wanted to look at for the case she was going to court today for. She was preparing to brush up on her knowledge of wrongful termination in order to help her better develop a strategy for her case today, which honestly was one of her hardest ones yet.

The sudden clicking noise of her office's door opening caught Halle's attention, and she slowly turned her head to look and see who it was as she climbed down the ladder.

And as soon as the person walked into her office, Halle instantly narrowed her eyes at them. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

* * *

One hour _earlier_...

Prince Roberto was in his office back home in Villa Altaria, changed into casual attire that would mask his princely identity. He was searching various desk drawers for a pair of sunglasses and a hat, trying to finish putting his disguise together before his butler Alberto returned in twenty minutes, who would undoubtedly stop him from trying to sneak out. Again.

"Agh, where did I put that...ah!" Prince Roberto found his hidden sunglasses and hat, and he pumped the air with his fist victoriously. "Yes! Now I just need..." The Prince's words were cut off by his phone suddenly ringing, and he abruptly paused before answering it, completely stunned by the Caller-ID. "No way..." Prince Roberto looked at his phone's screen dubiously as a smile found its way to his lips, and he quickly picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear. "Josh?"

 _"Prince Roberto."_ Prince Joshua's ever-stern and brusque voice rang out from the other end of the line, which instantly amused Prince Roberto.

Prince Roberto stifled a laugh before responding. "Well, well... To what do I owe the pleasure of receiving the ice Prince's call?"

 _"Humph."_ Prince Joshua sighed at the silly nickname before continuing. _"Have you seen Halle recently?"_

"Halle?" Prince Roberto drew his head back in shock, trying his best not to let out the laugh he was holding back. "Why are you asking about Halle?"

 _"I...er... Just... Wanted to follow up on how she is doing."_

Prince Roberto didn't even bother to stifle his laugh after hearing _that_ , which instantly enraged Prince Joshua.

 _"What's so funny!?"_ Prince Joshua rose his reprimanding voice.

Prince Roberto chuckled as he pushed back his hair with one of his hands. "It's only been a week since she came home and you miss her already?"

 _"...I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth."_

Prince Roberto snickered at Prince Joshua's grumpy attitude before sighing happily and smirking a little as he pitched his idea to the bitter Prince. "Well, I'm just about to go visit Halle at work today if you would like to come with me."

Prince Joshua paused awkwardly before responding. _"I...don't think I have anything demanding on my schedule today. I suppose I could spare a few hours, if you really needed the company..."_

Prince Roberto snorted at Prince Joshua's stubbornness and constant denial due to his pride. "But no butlers allowed. You'll have to ditch Jan for today. And don't forget to wear casual clothes that a commoner would wear, too."

Prince Joshua almost seemed completely disgusted by the idea. _"What!? Now why on earth would I dress like a commoner..."_

"Because we have to blend in, Josh." Prince Roberto rolled his eyes, expecting this kind of reaction. "We can't exactly just walk around the city streets of Altaria dressed as Princes with our butlers flanking us."

 _"Hm. I see. But is it really necessary to..."_

"Do you want to see Halle or not?" Prince Roberto shook his head as Prince Joshua didn't answer that question and remained silent, and Prince Roberto just laughed before moving onto the next subject. "I'll meet you outside of Halle's law firm in half an hour. Don't be late!"

* * *

Prince Joshua impatiently stamped his foot on the sidewalk in front of Garrison & Harper's building, regrettably dressed so casual that he was mistaken for a commoner by anyone who passed by him on the street. He had cancelled all of his appointments that Jan had scheduled for him today and told him that he needed a vacation day, and he insisted that Jan couldn't come with him, which alarmed the butler no less than it should have. It took him longer than anticipated to get out of Dres Van Manor and over to Altaria, but he did come through, and now he was just waiting for Prince Roberto to show.

"Josh! Hey, Josh! Hi!"

...which apparently didn't take long at all.

Prince Joshua slowly turned around just in time to see Prince Roberto running over and excitedly waving to him, clad in his commoner disguise. Prince Joshua just heaved a heavy sigh, already annoyed by the friendly Prince's nature.

Why was he bothering to go through all of this again? Oh yeah... Halle.

"Hey, Josh!" Prince Roberto clapped Prince Joshua on the shoulder with one hand, holding an extravagant bouquet of flowers in the other.

Prince Joshua cringed at the nickname before locking his eyes on the flowers. "Don't call me that. And what on earth are those for?"

Prince Roberto just rolled his eyes. "Well, I kinda have to call you that while we're in public, and you should call me Robbie. That's the name everyone here knows me by." He pointed up to the law firm's building they were standing in front of. "Oh, and these are for when we break in." He smiled mischievously as he held the bouquet up for Prince Joshua to see.

Prince Joshua just widened his eyes in shock. "Wait, what? We're breaking in?"

Prince Roberto just scoffed. "Duh. As if Halle would let me bother her at work while she's working a case." He took a few steps towards the door before noticing Prince Joshua wasn't following behind him, and he quickly grabbed the Prince's arm and began dragging him inside. "Come on, Josh!"

Prince Joshua glared at Prince Roberto's back as he dragged him into the building. "Pr... _Robbie_." He quickly corrected himself, noticing that the ground floor receptionist was staring at them oddly. "If we shouldn't be here right now, then let's just go."

Prince Roberto scoffed a little as he just looked at Prince Joshua. "What, are you kidding? It's fine! Come on!"

Prince Roberto dragged the grumbling Prince Joshua over to the elevator and took it up to the fourteenth floor, who kept complaining the whole way up about breaking the rules. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they looked around them only to notice that they had walked into utter _chaos_.

The whole floor was divided up into several offices with each lawyer's assistant at their desk stationed right outside each office, and several lawyers and assistants were running back and forth with stacks of papers and files in their hands. Something must be going on today, and Prince Roberto figured there were some major cases being worked or something.

"What on earth...?" Prince Joshua looked around in horror at the people running back and forth, shrinking back a little from the chaos out of instinct.

"Hmm. It's usually more calm around here." Prince Roberto looked back and forth before shrugging his shoulders and marching straight ahead. "Oh well. Time to go see Carrie!"

Prince Joshua hesitated before jogging to catch up to Prince Roberto with a clueless look on his face. "Who's Carrie?"

Before Prince Roberto could respond, he stopped in front of an assistant's desk with the bouquet of flowers hidden behind his back, and he smiled excitedly down at the woman sitting before him.

A gorgeous young woman who looked to be about twenty-five with grey eyes and natural burnt-orange hair cut into a short bob slowly looked up to meet Prince Roberto's gaze, and she sharply gasped and stood straight up from her chair.

"Robbie! You can't be here!" Carrie widened her eyes in shock as she looked at him completely bewildered, and she crossed her arms and quickly hardened her expression into a glare. "Ms. Mitchell isn't taking any visitors today. She's very busy with a case."

Prince Roberto slyly strode behind her desk and stood right next to her, looking deeply into her eyes as he pulled out the bouquet of flowers from behind his back. "But darling, I came to see you. A delicate flower as beautiful as yourself deserves to be gifted with flowers on occasion, don't you think?"

Carrie had stars for eyes as she swooned at that line, accepting the flowers graciously as her face-splitting grin took over her glaring expression from before. "Oooh, these are lovely!"

Prince Joshua just groaned and slapped his forehead a he watched Prince Roberto lean in to Carrie even closer. "So... Do you think I could pop in and just talk to Halle for a minute? It's really important, Carrie..." He pouted a little and flashed her the puppy dog eyes.

Carrie's lip quivered as she tried to have a stare-down with Prince Roberto, but she quickly caved at that adorable look on his face. "Oh, fine! You win!" She turned around and placed the flowers in a vase that was sitting on her desk, and she plopped back down in her chair with a huff. "But if I get fired for this, I'm coming after you, mister!"

Prince Roberto just laughed as he walked past Carrie and approached Halle's office door. "Alright, alright. I get it. Come on, Josh!" He looked back over his shoulder at the purple-haired Prince, waving him over.

Prince Joshua just shook his head back and forth slowly as he stared at Prince Roberto in disbelief. "I cannot _believe_ that actually worked."

Prince Roberto twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open before stepping inside. He saw Halle up on her ladder slowly turn her head too look at him as she climbed down, and as soon as she spotted him, she frowned and shot him a glare.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Halle glared at Prince Roberto as she plopped her stack of books on her desk. "Robbie, what are you doing here? I specifically told Carrie I was too busy for visitors today!"

"Well, I came to visit you anyways!" Prince Roberto threw his arms open wide to Halle with a spectacular grin on his face. "And look, I brought a friend!" He quickly stepped to the side, revealing the wary Prince Joshua, who had been standing behind him.

Any trace of anger that had previously been occupying Halle's face suddenly melted away as she locked eyes with the equally stunned Prince Joshua, and she dropped her jaw in surprise. "Prince Joshua..."

"Halle..." Prince Joshua widened his eyes instinctively at the sight of her, feeling a huge wave of relief suddenly wash over him just from being able to see her again.

The two exchanged a long, silent glance with one another, neither of them saying anything to interrupt the intensity of the moment.

So Prince Roberto crudely interrupted it instead.

"What!?" Prince Roberto looked completely hurt and offended as he pointed from Prince Joshua to himself. "Why does _he_ get a nice and civil greeting and I don't!?"

Halle crossed her arms as she rose one eyebrow, flashing Prince Roberto a look of deviousness. " _You_ annoy me. _He_ doesn't."

"What!?" Prince Roberto paled at that jab to the heart, and he dramatically fell to his knees and stared up at Halle with a look of anguish on his face. "Oh come _on_ , Halle!"

Prince Joshua tilted his chin up with a smug look on his face, enjoying Halle's subtle compliment towards him.

"No butlers today?" Halle changed the subject, taking a seat on the edge of her desk. "I would expect as much from Robbie, but you, Prince Joshua, are a different story." She smirked a little in his direction, letting her curiosity get the best of her.

"Well..." Prince Joshua opened his mouth to give an excuse, but someone else beat him to it.

"I told Josh that it was a requirement to come alone, so he did!" Prince Roberto stood up from the ground and casually swung an arm around Prince Joshua's shoulders as he grinned at Halle. "Is it really that shocking?"

Halle paused to think that scenario over for a moment before losing interest and shrugging her shoulders dismissively. "I guess not. Anyways, Robbie, I have to ask..." She crossed her arms and looked up at the slacker Prince. "What royal duty are you skipping out on today to come and see me?"

Prince Roberto looked almost a little offended as he drew his head back in shock. "What? What makes you think I'm skipping out on anything?"

Halle just smirked and held up her phone for him to see. "Because Albie is calling me right _now."_

All of the blood from Prince Roberto's face quickly drained away as he began to panic. "Ack! Halle, don't answer that!" Prince Roberto frantically tried to snatch the phone from Halle, who effortlessly eluded him every time.

"Hello?" Halle took the call with a devious smirk on her face, sitting up on the edge of her desk with her legs crossed.

 _"Ah, Ms. Mitchell."_ Alberto's voice could clearly be heard by everyone from the other end of the line, and the royal butler sounded more stern and annoyed than usual. _"I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen Prince Roberto today?"_

"Have I seen Robbie today?" Halle repeated the question as she smirked in Prince Roberto's direction.

Prince Roberto never looked more panicked as he frantically waved his hands back and forth. "Halle, don't...!"

"No, sorry. I have not. What ever is the matter?" Halle listened carefully to what Alberto was saying, and her calm and gentle face quickly melted into an intense glare. "...he _what_." Prince Roberto laughed nervously at Halle's sudden tone drop. "Skipped out on a banquet with the visiting royal family, you say?" Halle redirected her glare to focus on Prince Roberto as she drew in a sharp breath. "Huh. Well, if I do see him, you'll be the first to know."

 _"Ah, yes. Thank you, Ms. Mitchell."_

"No problem." Halle smiled bitterly as she hung up the phone, then looked at Prince Roberto. "Seriously?"

Prince Roberto just stared at her awkwardly as a nervous bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "...what? I didn't want to go!"

"For the love of..." Halle reached up to cover her face with her hands, then slowly dragged them down her face. "God, Robbie, you're giving me grey hairs at twenty-three. You are the crowned Prince of Altaria! You cannot be this irresponsible!"

"Eheh...heh..." Prince Roberto flashed her a nervous, sheepish grin. "Sorry, Halle..."

"Geez..." Halle sighed and set her phone down on her desk with the lock screen facing up, and Prince Joshua caught a glimpse of the photo set for it of her and Jan smiling together.

"When did you take that?" Prince Joshua pointed accusingly at Halle's phone with a slightly jealous look on his face.

"Huh? Oh, my lock screen?" Halle quirked an eyebrow at the question as she held up her phone. "About... Thirty seconds after Jan gave me my new phone. Why?"

"Oh..." Prince Joshua let out a quiet, dejected sigh as he looked off to the side. "No, it's nothing."

Halle instantly just crossed her arms over her chest while wearing a wry smile on her face. "What's your phone lock screen, Your Highness?"

Prince Joshua pulled out his phone to show her as he answered matter-of-fact. "The royal family crest of the house of Lieben, of course."

"Oh, now that's just boring." Halle chuckled as she held out her hand and took Prince Joshua's phone from him. "Here, let's fix that." She turned around and smiled brightly as she snapped a photo of the two of them, and she set it as his lock screen and showed it to him with a cheeky grin on her face. "See? Isn't that much better?"

Prince Joshua widened his eyes in shock as he stared at the picture of Halle smiling brightly and him staring at her in bewilderment. "Yes... Yes, it is."

"Ahem." Prince Roberto stared at the two with a devious smirk on his face as he loudly and obnoxiously cleared his throat. "So, Halle... Whatcha working on?"

Halle flashed him an instant glare. "Robbie, you do know that I must obey attorney-client confidentiality, right?"

"Oh come on, Halle!" Prince Roberto sighed in disappointment as he looked at her with a pouty frown. "You've shared your cases with me before...!"

Halle awkwardly shuffled where she stood and protectively crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, that was different..."

Prince Roberto placed his hands on his hips as he smirked over at her. "You know that if I really wanted to, I could get access to this case and its file. You may as well just tell Josh and I while we're here!"

"Fine." Halle glared at him, then rolled her eyes as she heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm currently brushing up on my knowledge of wrongful termination cases before I go to court in an hour, okay?"

"What for?" Prince Joshua looked over at her curiously.

"Well..." Halle trailed off a little as she looked down at the floor.

"Come on, Halle!" Prince Roberto whined impatiently. "What is it?"

"I'm working this case for a fellow attorney who works here, alright?" Halle snapped at Prince Roberto, flashing him a look of annoyance. "She was mugged last week on her way home from work, and my client apprehended the mugger and saved her. He's a bailiff at the Altaria courthouse. Or, rather, he was." She sat up on her desk and crossed her legs. "He was fired for his actions."

"What?" Prince Roberto looked stunned at this revelation. "Why?"

Halle awkwardly looked anywhere but at the two Princes standing before her as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "...because he was dressed in a Superman costume as he fought off and apprehended the mugger."

Prince Joshua just blankly stared at her. "...what."

Halle sighed in annoyance as she got a little irritated with having to repeat herself so much. "I'm taking on the courthouse for the wrongful termination of one of its bailiffs."

"Wow..." Prince Roberto was impressed as he exhaled that response.

"Geez, I've taken on _murder_ cases easier than this..." Halle leaned back and stressfully rubbed at her aching temples. "Do you have any idea just how difficult it is to accuse the courthouse of wrongdoing inside the courthouse itself!?"

Prince Roberto thought about it for a second before shaking his head no. "Not really, no. That's why you're the lawyer, and not me."

"Ugh..." Halle stressfully ran a hand through her long, wavy, caramel-colored hair.

"Come on, Halle! Cheer up!" Prince Roberto instantly flew to her side, and he held onto her shoulders supportively. "I'm sure you'll win this, just like you always do!"

Prince Joshua instantly scrutinized Prince Roberto for that optimistic statement, looking in his direction with a slightly miffed expression. "And how do you know that she will certainly win this case, Prince Roberto?"

Prince Roberto turned and stared at Prince Joshua dubiously with a sly smile. "Because Halle _always_ wins her cases. She's never lost once, Josh."

Prince Joshua was taken aback by this, and he snapped his eyes wide open in surprise. "Really?"

Halle smiled and shook her head as she cut in, patting Prince Roberto on the arm. "Careful, Robbie. If you talk me up too much, you just might jinx my luck. But yes, technically, that is true. I have yet to lose a case." She fixed her gaze into Prince Joshua as she snapped her fingers. "They don't exactly hire me for the little cases, you know."

As Prince Joshua was stunned into silence by Halle's response, Prince Roberto looked over at the young lawyer in surprise. "Wait, how is this guy able to afford you as his lawyer if he's a former bailiff?"

Halle just silently looked over at him as she stated matter of fact, "I'm doing this case pro-bono, Robbie."

Prince Roberto flashed her an awe-struck, warm grin as he patted her on the back. "Aww, how sweet. Halle to the rescue, taking the case for free!"

Halle's cheeks involuntarily flushed the slightest shade of red in embarrassment. "Shut up."

"Well, after your case is over today, the three of us can go grab a late lunch together." Prince Roberto grinned as he clapped Halle and Prince Joshua on the back, subtly pushing them together to stand next to each other. "How does that sound?"

As Halle opened her mouth to speak, her stomach let out a long growl. The young lawyer's cheeks flushed red as she covered them in embarrassment. "...I haven't really eaten much of anything today, so that's probably a good idea."

"What!" Prince Roberto cried out in shock, then quickly dropped his tone down as he began mothering her again. "Halle, don't tell me you forgot to eat something again..."

"Shut up." Halle pouted and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "I'm a very busy working woman, okay?"

"How exactly are you busy?" Prince Joshua rose an eyebrow in her direction, comparing what his daily schedule was like to hers.

Halle instantly picked up on the passive aggressive question he just asked her, and she simply quirked an eyebrow as she placed her hand on top of an enormous stack of folders. "Do you see this stack of folders on my desk?"

Prince Joshua readjusted his posture a little as he looked at them. "Yes. Why?"

"This is my case load." Halle spoke flatly. "Each one is a different case. It got so horribly piled up over the past few weeks because I was stuck in Dres Van with a certain someone." She looked directly into Prince Joshua's eyes at that, smirking a little.

Prince Joshua shrank back a little as he realized it was partially his fault she had so many cases to work. "...ah. I see."

Halle firmly clapped her hands together as she addressed the two Princes in her office, drawing this visit to a close for the day. "Now, I really need to get back to..."

Carrie swung open Halle's office door incredibly fast as she stared at the young lawyer in horror. "Ms. Mitchell, why are you still here!?"

"Carrie?" Halle snapped her eyes wide open in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Carrie dropped her jaw at Halle's obliviousness. "Your trial starts in twenty minutes!"

All of the blood drained from Halle's face as she looked straight ahead at Carrie. "Wait, what...? I thought it was in an hour..."

"Oh no, didn't you get my email last week?" Carrie sighed a little, feeling extraordinarily guilty. "I mistyped the time for today's trial on your calendar. It's in twenty minutes, not an hour."

"Oh. I see." Halle swallowed hard as she kept up a straight face and a calm demeanor. "Thank you, Carrie. You are dismissed."

As Carrie nodded her head and closed to door to head back to her desk, Prince Roberto turned to look at Halle in bewildered shock and amazement. "Wow, Halle... You handled that pretty well. I was fully expecting you to freak ou..."

"Ahhhh!" Halle let out a high-pitched shriek as she grabbed at her hair, cutting Prince Roberto off mid-second. "Oh my god, my trial starts in twenty minutes! Oh my god oh my god oh my god! I need to call a cab, and pack my bag, and oh god I'm not mentally prepared for this...!" She began running around her office at lightning speed, throwing files and miscellaneous papers into her bag in order to prepare herself to leave for court.

"...aaaaand there it is." Prince Roberto chuckled as he watched Halle freak out and spazz all over the place, more used to this sort of reaction from her rather than the first one.

Prince Joshua watched with widened eyes as Halle girlishly shrieked in terror at the fact that she was running late, completely unprepared for this. She was not acting composed and rational as she usually did; it was quite the opposite. And it was actually...kind of cute.

"Okay guys, time to run!" Halle ran past the two Princes and grabbed them by their wrists, then began dragging them behind her as she took off out the door.

"Whoa!" Prince Joshua yelled out in surprise as he was suddenly jerked out the door.

"Haha, Halle, slow down!" Prince Roberto laughed as he just went along with it.

"No time!" Halle cried out in panic as they raced towards the elevators and took it all the way down to the first floor of the law firm.

Prince Joshua was both amazed and appalled at Halle's ability to run out of the building in less than two minutes, and he watched as the brunette skidded to a halt at the curb outside and bring her fingers to her lips before blowing a sharp, loud, clairvoyant whistle. A taxi cab that was speeding by pulled up and slammed on the brakes, and Halle shoved Prince Roberto inside before getting in herself. Prince Joshua stood there appalled for a moment as he realized he actually had to take a public taxi cab to the courthouse, but before the Prince could protest to the mode of transportation, Halle reached out and jerked him inside. Prince Joshua yelped in surprise as he was crammed into the backseat of the taxi cab with both him and Prince Roberto sitting on the ends, and Halle was in the middle of the two. That ten-minute car ride was the longest ten minutes of their lives, and Halle rode in the taxi overwhelmed with both anxiety and anticipation the whole way. When they pulled up to the courthouse, an old-timey horse-drawn carriage was parked out front, and a bride and groom stepped out and began to head inside for their wedding ceremony.

"Ah, just barely made it!" Halle sighed in relief as she and the two Princes ran into the courthouse, exhausted and panting in attempt to catch their breath.

"Whew!" Prince Roberto wiped the sweat from his brow as he grinned at the brunette. "Way to rush, Halle!"

"...thank God that's over." Prince Joshua took in one deep breath, attempting to recover from the chaos that just ensued.

"Okay, guys." Halle clapped her hands together and turned around to face the two Princes with a serious look on her face. "If you want to observe the trial, then I don't mind if you sit in and watch. Just...please, don't do something stupid and make a scene." She purposefully looked directly at Prince Roberto when she said that, who immediately noticed and grew defensive.

"Why are you looking at me!?" Prince Roberto exasperatedly pointed to himself as he looked questioningly to Halle.

Halle kept a straight face as she simply just rose an eyebrow to the brown-haired Prince. "Because I know perfectly well that Prince Joshua can behave himself just fine. Robbie, you're the one I'm _really_ worried about."

"Hey...!" Prince Roberto cried out in protest, looking offended before he began mumbling under his breath and pouting off to the side. "Why do you always take _his_ side...?"

Prince Joshua's ego only grew bigger, and he proudly tilted his chin up at Halle's praise.

"Okay, I just need to find my client and head on in." Halle nodded her head and began to look around her with a new resolve. "The trial starts in a few minutes, so-oh no." She locked eyes with a man she _really_ did not want to see, and she instinctively dove to hide behind Prince Joshua. "Damn! Do you think he saw me...?"

"What? What is it?" Prince Joshua looked over his shoulder at the petite woman hiding behind him, very confused by her sudden shift in behavior.

"Only the last person on _earth_ I'd like to see right now." Halle grumbled under her breath as she carefully poked her head up past Prince Joshua's shoulder to see if the man she spotted had seen her.

"Halle, who's that?" Prince Roberto didn't recognize him either, which surprised Prince Joshua. The purple-haired Prince thought Prince Roberto knew _everyone_ in Halle's life.

"Toya Reese, a former co-worker who used to work for Garrison & Harper with me." Halle ducked back down behind Prince Joshua as Toya looked in her direction. "He was also on track to be made a partner in the firm, until he got a better job offer from another firm and quit to become a partner there instead. He was my biggest competitor at Garrison & Harper back when he still worked there." She narrowed her eyes at the memory and grumbled. "We never got along."

"I don't see what the problem is." Prince Joshua rose an eyebrow at her, questioning Halle's silly behavior. The man was just a former colleague, after all.

Halle just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He's only the biggest jerk I've ever dealt with in my entire life, who also has virtually no respect for women whatsoever." She paused and looked directly at Prince Joshua. "He's way worse than you when we first met, Prince Joshua."

"Ah, I see." Prince Joshua nodded his head as he seemed to accept her reason, and then what she had said finally sunk in as he turned his head to look back at her in shock. "...wait, was I really that bad?"

Before Halle could respond, it was too late. Toya Reese _had_ seen her, and he approached the young lawyer and her two casually-dressed male associates. "Well, well... I can't believe it! If it isn't little miss Halle Mitchell." A disgustingly smug grin crept up onto his face as he looked down on Halle. "Now, what's a cute little mouse like you doing here? The adults are trying to work."

Halle stepped out from behind Prince Joshua and stood up straight, immediately glaring at Toya as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Call me cute one more time and you'll be facing a sexual harassment lawsuit." Prince Joshua tried not to laugh at Halle's well-worded quip, but Prince Roberto just went ahead and _did_ laugh. "And if you do recall, Mr. Reese, I _am_ a licensed attorney, such as yourself. I'm here to represent my client today in a civil case."

Toya only seemed to take this as his way into the conversation, because his grin only grew more sadistic as he talked down to Halle. "Oh, you wouldn't be talking about Mr. Monoko, now, would you?"

Halle sensed this conversation was about to take a turn for the worse, and she warily drew her head back as she looked at Toya. "...and if I was?"

Toya was enjoying bullying her as his jerky grin only grew wider. "Well, if that's the case, then meet your opposing council." He pointed to himself arrogantly as Halle dropped her jaw.

"You..." Halle stared at him in shock, horrified that _this_ was the lawyer she'd be facing today in court.

"You must really have your head in the clouds if you think you can win this, Ms. Mitchell." Toya scoffed at her, offended that she would even try to win a case like this. "Your client's a lunatic, and I'm going to prove that. Who runs around at night wearing a Superman costume playing hero, anyways?" He laughed ignorantly, which only made Halle's face grow red with anger. "Come on, let's be real here. You can't sue the courthouse itself for the termination of one of their bailiffs."

"You seem awfully sure of yourself." Halle worn a confident smirk of her own as she narrowed her eyes at Toya. "I guess that means it will just hurt that much more when I knock you down from your pedestal."

"Yowch! Kitty's got claws!" Toya laughed at Halle's harsh retort, and he flashed her a sinister smirk. "See you inside, sweetheart. And..." He leaned in close to Halle with an evil look on his face, causing her to wrench her head backwards away from him. "It's best to know when you have been beaten."

As Halle watched Toya walk away, a heavy weight seemed to be lifted from her shoulders as she exhaled all of her anger. "...I am _seriously_ going to punch him in the face one of these days."

"That guy pisses me off just as much as he does you, but don't do anything reckless..." Prince Roberto flashed Halle a warning look, only to be met with her rolling her eyes.

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything." Halle blew her bangs out of her face in frustration and crossed her arms. "I have no desire to spend the night in jail for battery and assault charges..."

"Why the hell did you just let that idiot speak to you like that?" Prince Joshua suddenly turned to glare at Halle, catching the young woman completely off guard.

"What...?" Halle's eyes widened in surprise at Prince Joshua's tone drop, not expecting him to be so angry with her all of a sudden.

Prince Joshua stubbornly crossed his arms as he looked off to the side of the room. "He should be punished for undermining you so. What a complete moron..." He shook his head, then looked directly into Halle's brown eyes. "He must be a genuine idiot if he honestly believes you are incapable of winning this case and beating him with ease, when it's obvious that you will."

Halle blinked over and over again at Prince Joshua as a small smile crept up onto her lips. "Thank you, Prince Joshua..."

Prince Joshua seemed to get a little embarrassed by her response as he quickly turned his head away to hide his facial expression from her. "...I was only speaking the truth."

"Hate to interrupt, but, uh, Halle..." Prince Roberto stepped in-between the two, then pointed over at a nervous-looking guy standing in front of the courtroom the trial was to be held in. "Isn't that your client? Shouldn't you be getting inside?"

"Oh, shit...!" Halle cried out as she realized she had lost track of the time, and she scurried over to her very tall and built client, who truly had the body type of Superman himself. "Mr. Monoko!"

Prince Roberto just shook his head and laughed as he watched the young lawyer lead her client into the courtroom. "She's really something, huh, Josh?"

"That she is..." Prince Joshua watched her go in awe, falling completely silent as the woman who had his interest piqued from the moment he first met her leave the room.

Prince Roberto looked over at Prince Joshua, paused for a moment as he studied the love-struck look on the woman-hating Prince's face, then laughed. "Man, you've really got it bad if you're willing to spend the whole day with me _just_ so you can see her."

"Got what bad?" Prince Joshua failed to understand the brunette Prince's commentary as he shot him a quizzical look. "Are you implying that the only way I could possibly stand to be around you is if I were ill?"

Prince Roberto slapped his forehead and slowly dragged his hand down his face as Prince Joshua completely missed his point. "...forget it, it's nothing. Come on, Josh. Let's get inside."

* * *

Princes Roberto and Joshua quietly filed into the courtroom alongside the other patrons with the intention of sitting in on the hearing, making sure to inconspicuously find seats towards the back of the room.

"This is perhaps the most _ridiculous_ court case I've sat in on by far." A blonde woman sitting in the row in front of the disguised Princes commented to her red-haired friend, very disinterested in the hearing she had sat in on.

"I know, right?" The red-haired woman agreed, a little miffed herself. "The guy's crazy, pretending to be a superhero when he's off the clock. Who even does that...? The courthouse had every right to fire him."

"I know, but what's more shocking is who his _lawyer_ is." The blonde was stunned as she crossed her legs, trying to make sense out of the lawyer she just saw walk in.

"Hmm? Who is it?" The red-head curiously looked to her friend for answers, wondering just what was so impressive about Superman's lawyer.

The blonde was almost disgusted with this news as she let the prestigious lawyer's name roll off her tongue. "Halle Mitchell."

"W-what!?" The red-head couldn't be more shocked as she covered her mouth with her hand. "As in _the_ Halle Mitchell? Why is the kingdom's most famous criminal prosecutor and defense lawyer wasting her time with this civil case?"

"Beats me." The blonde shrugged her shoulders, not really caring either way. "Maybe she knows the guy personally?"

...

Princes Joshua and Roberto had involuntarily been listening in on the two women's conversation, and although Prince Roberto wasn't all that surprised to hear his sister be praised for her career, Prince Joshua was nonetheless impressed with the young woman.

Prince Joshua leaned over to Prince Roberto, quietly whispering his thoughts to him in attempt to not draw attention. "I did not realize Halle was so well-known as a lawyer here in your kingdom, Prince Roberto..."

"Huh?" Prince Roberto looked over at Prince Joshua with a surprised look on his face. "Oh, yeah! Halle's the best!" He grinned boyishly, proud of his little sister and her achievements in her field. "Just last month, she was featured on the front cover of the Altaria Times magazine for convicting a serial killer in three weeks when the first prosecutor who was put on the case couldn't do it in three _months_..."

"What...?" Prince Joshua's eyes snapped wide open in shock, and he looked over at the bench where Halle was standing, staring at her confident figure in admiration for the woman as he listened to Prince Roberto tell him about her. "Is she really that impressive of a lawyer?"

"Mmhmm!" Prince Roberto nodded his head, happy to brag about her. Not like he ever got the chance to very often, anyways. "Halle's really something, whether you know her personally or professionally. She's a lot smarter than you think." He scoffed a little and held his hand out palm-up for emphasis. "I mean, come on. She became a full-fledged lawyer when she was twenty years old."

"She did?" Prince Joshua's focus was broken as he looked away from her and stared at Prince Roberto once again.

"Yeah." Prince Roberto looked at his friend strangely, finding it odd that he was just hearing about this for the first time. "Didn't you think it was strange that she's only twenty-three and she's a famous lawyer here in Altaria?"

Prince Joshua looked slightly miffed that Prince Roberto knew something he didn't, and he stubbornly crossed his arms as he narrowed his eyebrows in the brunette Prince's direction. "Well, yes, but I didn't really think anything of it at the time."

"Geez, Josh..." Prince Roberto sighed sharply, slapping his forehead and slowly dragging his hand down his face. "Do you know _anything_ about Halle?"

Prince Joshua widened his eyes in shock. "I..."

"So that's a no." Prince Roberto cut him off, laughing a little under his breath as he did so.

Prince Joshua looked annoyed as he defended himself and his knowledge of Halle. "No, no. That's not true."

"Oh yeah?" Prince Roberto smirked a little as he got an idea. "Then name one thing you know about her."

Prince Joshua seemed to stop and think really hard deep within his thoughts for a moment, and when he didn't say anything to break the silence, Prince Roberto chimed in.

"Give up?" Prince Roberto laughed a little at how hard Prince Joshua was trying to think of something, finding it utterly hilarious that the always-stoic, devoid-of-emotions, woman-hating Prince Joshua took enough interest in his sister to want to actually get to know her in the first place.

"Well, she hates parties, and she enjoys red wine." Prince Joshua flashed Prince Roberto a pompous smirk, proud of himself for thinking of something about the brunette lawyer.

"Are you describing Halle or yourself?" Prince Roberto cracked up laughing, and Prince Joshua's face flared up in anger.

Prince Joshua drew in a sharp breath as he composed himself, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at the laughing Prince Roberto. "Of course I'm describing Halle, although I will admit that we do share those two things in common."

"Sigh..." Prince Roberto calmed down and ran a hand through his hair. "Josh, you need to ask her about herself. Halle's not the type of person to just come right out and give you her life's story."

Prince Joshua's eyes snapped wide open in surprise. "Is that so?"

Prince Joshua found that to be rather strange. He thought all women enjoyed talking about themselves. All of the women he had met previously throughout his life just couldn't seem to _stop_ talking about themselves, so to hear that Halle was actually rather closed-off about herself was more than just a little surprising.

Prince Roberto leaned back in his seat comfortably as he knowingly helped Prince Joshua get into the mind of his sister. "Yeah. What do you already know about her?"

Prince Joshua drew into his thoughts as he pressed a finger to his lips. "Well, if I do recall, she mentioned that she met you five years ago when her mother died, and that she was a lawyer. I believe that's all she's said about herself."

"Ah." Prince Roberto had a brief flashback to meeting Halle for the first time, which wasn't too...happy. "Well... I probably shouldn't be telling you this, since it's not really my place, but I know she won't tell you unless you pry it out of her."

"What?" Prince Joshua looked at Prince Roberto strangely, kind of worried about what he had to say. When Prince Roberto paused and didn't say anything, Prince Joshua just grew more and more anxious. "What is it?"

"It's about Halle..." Prince Roberto turned to face the purple-haired Prince with a grim look on his face.

The trial had already begun as the Princes quietly whispered with one another in the back, and the tension between the two lawyers as they questioned witnesses only grew more and more apparent to those watching the trial.

"Ms. Shibusa, how long have you known Riyutaru Monoko?" Halle Mitchell stood tall as she faced the lawyer at her firm sitting in the witness stand, beginning her line of questioning.

Ms. Shibusa, the mugging victim who was saved by Halle's client, calmly answered the question. "Since I started litigating at this courthouse, so...eight years."

Halle held herself with straight posture as she paced back and forth with her strong figure. "And would you say Mr. Monoko's actions on the night you were mugged reflect poorly on him, or bailiffs in general?"

"On the contrary." Ms. Shibusa shook her head no, smiling brightly. "Mr. Monoko's actions that night only improved my opinion of bailiffs, and the bailiff program."

"Thank you." Halle smiled at the woman and nodded her head, ending her line of questioning. She turned to her opposing council, Toya Reese, and flashed him a quick glare as she passed the witness off to him to question. "Your witness."

Toya stood up and nodded to the judge before sitting right back down. "I have no questions."

"Oh-kay...?" Halle flashed Toya a look of confusion, but quickly shook her head to snap out of it as she faced the judge. She knew he was up to something, she just didn't know what. "At this point, your honor, I would like to call Riyutaru Monoko to the stand."

"Your honor," Toya quickly stood up as he addressed the judge with a confident smirk on his face. "We request that Mr. Monoko testify in his Superman costume, so the jury can see how his, 'alter ego,' makes him unfit for service."

Riyutaru's eyes snapped wide open in horror as he quickly looked to his lawyer for help. "I can't wear the costume! Not in court!"

Halle met her client's worried eyes and quickly changed her expression to an angry one as she faced the judge. "Objection!"

"On what grounds?" The judge sighed and leaned forwards, looking right at Halle.

"On the grounds that it's intended to denigrate my client!" Halle angrily spoke on her client's behalf, opposing Toya's request. "And frankly, it's ludicrous!"

"Well, let's see." The judge folded her hands in her lap with an annoyed look on her face. "I have a twenty-three-year-old lawyer defending a former bailiff against the courthouse in one of their own courts." The judge rose a single eyebrow at Halle, who shrank back a little at the criticism she bestowed upon the young lawyer. "I think we're well past ludicrous." The judge picked up her gavel and quickly slammed it down. "Request granted."

"Your honor..." Halle tried to speak up, but was quickly cut off by the judge.

"Thirty minute recess for the plaintiff to change." The judge granted Halle some time for her to think of something last-minute to save her client, dismissing this session of the trial until it would resume in half an hour.

"Damn..." Halle cursed under her breath, stressfully running her hand through her curly brown hair.

Riyutaru Monoko worriedly left the courtroom with every intention to go home and grab his costume to change into, hoping to God that his lawyer would think of something to win this case. Prince Joshua and Prince Roberto in the audience looked a little worried about how the trial was going, and as Halle stormed down the aisle of the courtroom, she grabbed both of them and dragged them outside with her.

"Halle, are you alright?" Prince Roberto flashed her a look of concern, instantly picking up on the rage she was bottling up at the moment.

"Damn it...!" Halle cried out in frustration, startling the two Princes with her sudden burst of anger. "I knew that wasn't going to go well, but I couldn't have guessed _this_ was going to happen..." She ran her fingers through her bangs, trying to soothe herself from all the stress this case was plaguing her with.

Prince Roberto placed his hands on her shoulders and looked directly into his sister's eyes. "Halle, calm down. Focus."

Halle listened and drew in one long, deep breath in order to calm herself. "You're right... I'm sorry."

Prince Joshua warily looked at Halle as he spoke. "So... What are you going to do?"

Halle opened her mouth to speak, but no ideas of how to save her client came to mind. "I... Have no idea."

"Okay, Halle. Time to focus!" Prince Roberto clapped his hands together as he tried to motivate the young lawyer into coming up with an idea. "I'm sure you can think of something."

Halle exhaled sharply and she gripped her hair with her fists out of frustration. "I know I can, I just have only thirty minutes to do it..."

"Man, this whole thing is ridiculous..." Prince Roberto rolled his eyes and let out the breath he was holding, running a hand through his hair.

"What is?" Prince Joshua looked at him with a confused expression.

"The case, Josh." Prince Roberto answered his question. "I mean, come on. So what if the guy wears a Superman costume at night and saves people from muggers? Is that really such a bad thing?" He looked at Prince Joshua as he spoke on behalf of Halle's client, sympathizing with the guy. "What he does in his free time should be none of the court's business..."

"I completely agree." Halle nodded her head with a satisfied look on her face.

"I do not." Prince Joshua cut in with a stone-faced expression, sharing his personal opinion on the matter.

"What makes you say that?" Halle looked at the purple-haired Prince in confusion, tilting her head to the side as she tried to understand his reasoning.

"Pretending to be a Superhero is just ludicrous." Prince Joshua firmly crossed his arms, staring directly at the petite woman beside him. He almost forgot about Prince Roberto being there too as he kept his eyes only on her. "I can see why the courthouse felt it was necessary to fire the man, for it would reflect poorly on his place of employment."

Halle squirmed uncomfortably where she stood, knowing that he made a good point, but she still didn't agree with him on this. "Yeah, I understand that, but..."

"But it's just a costume." Prince Roberto butted in, sharing what Halle was thinking for her.

"Exactly!" Halle let out a burst of frustration as she pointed to Prince Roberto with her hand. "I just wish the judge could understand that..." She paused mid-sentence as her eyes widened, getting an idea. "Wait."

Prince Roberto tried not to laugh as he worriedly shot his sister a look. "Uh oh. I know that face."

"Oh my god...!" Halle suddenly cried out in joy as a bright smile encompassed her whole face, and she placed her hands on top of her head as she spoke. "I know how I'm going to win this case!"

"Really?" Prince Joshua was confused about where she just suddenly got an idea from, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit curious. "How?"

A face-splitting grin took over Halle as she confidently smirked in Prince Roberto's direction, poking him in the chest as she spoke. "I'm taking a page out of your book, Robbie."

"What are you going to do?" Prince Roberto looked at her in shock, wondering how the heck he had just managed to inspire her to win her court case.

"Something so incredibly stupid that it might just work...!" Halle grinned brightly as she turned on her heel and begin to quickly walk away from the two Princes.

"Awesome!" Prince Roberto clapped his hands together in excitement before the last part of what she said finally sunk in. "Wait... HEY."

"Thank you so much, guys!" Halle waved back at them as she dispersed into the crowd of lawyers.

"Halle, where are you..." Prince Joshua watched her go with a look of confusion on his face.

"I'll be back before the recess, I promise!" Halle called back to them one last time before disappearing outside, leaving the two very confused Princes behind to now wait in anticipation for what the young lawyer had up her sleeve.

* * *

"Did I make it in time?" Carrie, Halle's assistant, came rushing into the courtroom and slid into the seat next to Prince Roberto, looking at the two Princes in disguise expectantly.

Prince Roberto clapped Carrie on the back with a smile on his face. "You're here on time, Carrie! Good job!" He then looked a little wary as he glanced back at the closed doors behind Carrie. "Halle, though..."

"She's late." Prince Joshua cut in, a little annoyed. Anyone who really knew him though understood that his annoyance was just a cover for how worried he was. Why was she late? Did she get into some sort of trouble after she left them...?

Carrie frowned a little as she looked at the numerous amount of reporters who had flooded into the courtroom for this second half of the trial. "I have no idea what's going on. All I know is Ms. Mitchell asked me to do whatever it took to get the press here, so I can only assume she's about to pull something big that she wants widely reported in order to get the people on her client's side."

Prince Joshua kept his head low so as to not be spotted by the reporters as he looked at Halle's assistant. "What do you think she's planning to do...?"

Carrie flashed him a stressed smile. "I honestly have no idea..."

"Any idea where your council is, Mr. Monoko?" The judge sighed bitterly as she leaned over to look at Riyutaru Monoko in the witness stand.

Riyutaru, who was dressed in his full Superman costume, looked around the courtroom nervously in search for his lawyer. He felt the judgmental eyes on him from everywhere in the courtroom, putting him on edge. "She should be here... I don't..."

The doors of the the courtroom were suddenly swung open with great force, and wearing a confident smirk on her face all the while, the young lawyer in question strutted right in.

"I'm right here, your honor!" Halle Mitchell smirked confidently and stopped where she stood at the door with her hands on her hips, proudly sporting a full-on Wonder Woman costume that was accurate down to the last detail, starting with the golden headband pushing her brown hair back all the way down to her red and white striped boots.

Prince Joshua abruptly choked on nothing but air at the sight of Halle in that rather... _revealing_ leotard. "What the... Hell...? What is she doing?"

Prince Roberto's whole face slowly turned up into a huge grin, and he tried his absolute hardest to keep himself from laughing as he pulled out his phone. "...I have no idea, but I'm so getting a picture of this!"

"Oh my god..." Carrie slapped her hand over her eyes and slowly sank down into her seat. "I'm now starting to see why she wanted me to call the press and get them here..."

The judge looked absolutely appalled at the young woman's attire as Riyutaru's whole face erupted into a bright grin at the sight of his lawyer. "...what's going on, Miss Mitchell?" The judge's patience was wearing thin, and she narrowed her eyes at Halle.

Toya was absolutely _floored_ by Halle's guts to march into the courtroom wearing that ridiculous Wonder Woman costume, and it took all he had not to laugh mockingly at Halle as she marched down the walkway.

"Actually, I would prefer it if you would call me Wonder Woman, your honor!" Halle radiated nothing but confidence as everyone in the courtroom started to chuckle under their breath, and her client couldn't be happier that his lawyer went this far just to help him.

"The plaintiff's council is making a mockery of these proceedings!" Toya scoffed as he gestured to Halle, looking at the judge incredulously.

"You're the one that requested that the defendant wear a costume." Halle darted her eyes over to Toya, smirking all the while. "If he can wear one, then so can I." She marched right up next to the bench on her side of the courtroom, standing right next to Toya as she faced off against the judge shamelessly in full costume. "In fact, everyone in this courtroom is wearing some sort of costume. Your judge's robe, your honor. The bailiff's uniform." Halle paused and turned to look at Toya with a sarcastic look on her face as she looked him up and down. "Your poly-blend suit that apparently came with extra pants."

Prince Roberto and Riyutaru both choked at the young lawyer's quip, unable to believe she was really doing this. Prince Joshua laughed under his breath, never feeling more proud in his life as he watched Halle completely _destroy_ Toya in court and fight for her client.

Halle looked at the judge with a pleading look in her eyes, ignoring the intensely shocked look on Toya's face. "I have simply just swapped one costume for another." She looked across the walkway at Toya, meeting his gaze for a moment as she smirked. "It's best to know when you have been beaten. Don't you agree?"

"Tch." Toya just scoffed and looked away from Halle, refusing to meet her eyes.

Prince Joshua couldn't help but grin at the sight of Halle standing up for herself against Toya. That horrible man just made him so angry, thinking about he crudely spoke to Halle before the trial started... He was just glad that she won that battle.

The judge looked at Halle with her impossible to read gaze for a moment longer as her eyes seemed to soften, and her lips slowly turned up into a small smile. "I see your point, councilor. I think I've seen enough to make a decision here."

Toya quickly jumped forward, trying to salvage what was left of his claim. "B-but, Your Honor, the Defense hasn't rested yet...!"

The judge just looked at Toya with a raised eyebrow, completely disinterested in what he had to say. "Did I not make myself clear, councilor? Because if I didn't, I apologize for having mislead you to believe that making a closing argument was necessary."

"Urk..." Toya took a step back as he was shot down, and everyone in the courtroom sat on the edges of their seats as the judge cleared her throat.

"I find in favor of the plaintiff, Mr. Monoko, and he is to be reinstated in his position as a court bailiff." The judge glared at Toya directly as she picked up her gavel and slammed it down comprehensively. "Effective _immediately."_

"Yes!" Halle balled her hand into a fist and brought her arm down in victory as the courtroom erupted into a huge round of applause and cheers.

Riyutaru has an irreplaceable grin on his face as the cameras began to flash, and he looked over at his lawyer in shock. "Oh my god... Ms. Mitchell! You did it!"

Prince Joshua was just _floored_ and had no idea what to say to this whole display, Toya was sulking and completely dejected as reporters berated him with insensitive questions about his heavy loss, Carrie and Prince Roberto grabbed onto each other excitedly as they jumped up and down and cheered, and Riyutaru jumped down from the stand only to scoop up the small Halle dressed as Wonder Woman in his arms and spin her around, only to gain the attention of all of the reporters, who instantly began snapping pictures.

Halle yelped in surprise as her ridiculously muscular client lifted her up into his shoulder, and she appeared to be grinning out at the sea of reporters snapping photos as she made a peace sign with her fingers.

But really, the young woman was looking directly into the eyes of a certain purple-haired Prince out in the crowd who had a small, impressed grin on his face.

* * *

As Halle came out of the woman's restroom now changed back into her usual work clothes, Prince Roberto ran up to her excitedly.

"Holy crap... Halle, I can't believe you did that!" Prince Roberto squeezed Halle tightly in a big hug, amazingly impressed with his little sister's bravado.

"Ahah hah... Neither can I..." Halle laughed embarrassingly as she grabbed the back of her neck, blushing a little as she felt Prince Joshua's eyes on her.

"I see you've changed back into your...normal clothes." Prince Joshua awkwardly averted eye contact, running a hand through his hair.

A nervous bead of sweat rolled down Halle's forehead as she looked to Prince Joshua apologetically. "That is by far the most ridiculous thing I've ever done to win a case. I'm sorry that was the first one you got to see, Prince Joshua..." Her cheeks flushed red ever so slightly in embarrassment, and she nervously flashed him an apologetic look. "I promise I'm actually a more serious lawyer when it comes to my clients...!"

"It's fine." Prince Joshua dismissed her concerns, responding in a way that Halle did not expect at all as he turned and began walking to the front doors.

"What?" Halle was rendered speechless by his response as she followed both him and Prince Roberto out the courthouse's front doors, stepping outside and into the sunlight with a look of shock on her face.

"I said it's fine." Prince Joshua stopped walking down the steps and turned around to face the young lawyer who was racing to catch up to him, standing on two steps in front of him and looking down at the smiling Prince. "In fact... I enjoyed getting to see a new side of you, and just how far you're willing to go to help someone."

"Prince Joshua..." Halle found her look of shock turning up into a hesitant smile as she looked into his eyes, and she couldn't help but feel giddy at the sound of his praise. It just made her feel so...warm. Happy, even.

"...you guys are so adorable." Prince Roberto looked back and forth between Halle and Prince Joshua with a bright grin on his face, seemingly appearing out of no where.

"Eh!?" Halle turned to face her brother in dumbstruck awe, having no idea how to respond to that.

"W-what!?" Prince Joshua had a similar reaction to Halle's, tripping over his own words.

"Oh, nothing~! Just making an observation." Prince Roberto laughed as he walked down the rest of the steps and stopped in front of that horse-drawn carriage that bride and groom drove up to the courthouse in from before.

Halle stepped down next to Prince Roberto with an angry glare on her face, having enough of this already. "Well, your observation is ridiculous." She felt someone nudge her shoulder, and she kept her eyes on Prince Roberto as she held her hand out to whoever it was trying to get her attention to pause them. "Wait just a second."

"Um, Halle..." Prince Roberto bit down on his lip as he shot her a nervous look.

"One second." Halle held out her hand to the person tapping on her shoulder again as she leveled her glare with the brunette Prince. "Robbie, you can't just go around saying things like that! Especially not about someone like me and a _Prince_ , for God's sake..."

"Halle, uh..." Prince Roberto cut her off again, warily looking between her and the person standing next to her who had been trying to gain her attention.

"What? I said wait just a second..." Halle angrily turned to face whoever was trying to gain her attention, only to find herself face-to-face with one of the horses from the carriage she had apparently been standing next to this whole time. "AHH! Oh my god, please get the horse away from me...!" Halle let out one large shriek as she instantly threw herself backwards against the concrete wall of the courthouse, inadvertently smacking her head against it rather hard as she slid down the wall and protectively held her hands in front of her face as the horse continued to inch closer to her harmlessly out of curiosity.

"Halle...!" Prince Joshua snapped his eyes wide open in shock at Halle's complete one-eighty in behavior, instantly worried about that hit she just took to the back of her head.

Prince Roberto grabbed the horse's reigns and pulled back on them as he looked to Prince Joshua worriedly. "I've got the horse, Josh, you help Halle!"

Prince Roberto didn't have to tell him twice. Prince Joshua had already thrown himself forward between Halle and the horse and knelt down on the ground beside her, placing his hand behind her neck in attempt to support Halle's head as she had a dizzy look on her face. "Halle! Halle!"

"W-wh... I... Uh..." Halle felt her vision get a little spotty as the back of her head started to throb painfully, and she could barely make out what was happening, let alone what Prince Joshua was trying to say to her.

"Halle, are you alright...?" Prince Joshua had never looked more worried in his life as he cupped her cheek with his other hand and looked at her stunned face, taking notice of a tear that just now rolled down her cheek. "Wha... Are you...crying?"

Halle held her breath in attempt to keep herself from letting the tears pricking at her eyes from pouring over, but all she could do was stammer as more and more tears seemed to uncontrollably roll down her face. "I-I... I'm sorry!"

"What are you apologizing for...?" Prince Joshua didn't care as he pulled her forwards and wrapped his arms protectively around her, holding onto her tight as Halle tried to hold back her sobs as she cried into his chest. She was horribly shaken up, and it pained Prince Joshua to see her that way...

Prince Roberto just stood there shaking his head as the two completely forgot about him once again, and he just looked at the horse whose reigns he was holding onto. "...Halle's deathly afraid of horses, and Josh is afraid of cats." He laughed a little, then looked down at Prince Joshua cradling the injured, crying Halle. "You guys were practically _made_ for each other."

"ROBBIE, I SWEAR TO GOD...!"

"I AM NOT AFRAID OF CATS! I JUST HATE THEM!"

* * *

 **Lololololol this chapter was so long. Funny, too XD although it kinda seemed like a filler, this was actually relevant to the plot.**

 **Sorry this took me so long, guys! This chapter is 11,000 words, so it took me longer than usual to throw together, and I suffered from writer's block off and on;; Again, I apologize.**

 **Anyways... Whoa. Prince Joshua x Halle is getting closer to reality. Roberto is equally a shipping fangirl and a cock block at the same time XDDDD**

 **Also, Halle's TERRIFIED of horses. Poor baby :( it hurt my soul to write that, since I love horses so much. Prince Joshua can keep horses away from Halle, and she can keep cats away from him I guess? XD**

 **Anyways... Read, review, and enjoy!**


	16. Chapter 16

"Oh, I'm sorry, guys... I totally ruined our lunch plans for this afternoon..." Halle frowned as Princes Joshua and Roberto walked on either side of her, helping the staggering lawyer get up to her apartment safely with that bruise on the back of her skull that left her feeling a little dizzy.

"Whaaaat? Who cares about that!" Prince Roberto chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her, guiding her over to her apartment on the third floor of her complex. "It's fine, Halle. We can just have lunch with you back here!"

Halle stopped at her door with her keys in her hand, turning to Prince Joshua. "Now, I know Robbie doesn't mind my simple home cooking, but are you okay with that, Prince Joshua...?" She awkwardly looked away from his piercing gaze as she fumbled to find the right key. "I know it's definitely nothing as fancy as what you're used to, but I am pretty decent in the kitchen..."

Prince Joshua just had an awe-struck look on his face as she asked him that adorable question, and his mind couldn't help but wander to the rice ball she had gifted him with at the Nobel Michel party they had parted ways at last week. "I don't particularly care."

Halle just shrugged and turned her back to him, proceeding to unlock her deadbolt. "Alright, I'll have to see what I've got to whip up for us really fast..."

"But first," Prince Roberto scooped Halle up in his arms without warning, proceeding to carry her through the now open door as Halle yelped in surprise at suddenly being picked up. "Let's get that bruise on your head tended to!"

"Robbie!" Halle let out a laugh and lightly smacked his arm as Prince Roberto carried her into her apartment in his arms, and Prince Joshua followed behind them with a strange look on his face. "Put me down!"

Prince Roberto laughed along with her as he carefully set her down on the edge of her kitchen counter, instantly going over to the fridge to find an ice pack. Prince Joshua couldn't help but notice that Prince Roberto seemed to be very familiar with Halle's apartment, which made him feel...strange. And not in a good way.

Halle's apartment was a small, humble, one bedroom apartment with pastel pink walls and modern furniture. She had a large leather couch with a glass coffee table in the middle of it, and mounted on the wall opposite of the couch was a large, flat-screen TV she used for video conferences. She had a small table in her dining room with two matching chairs, and her kitchen was connected to it. It was a very small space, and Prince Joshua just couldn't understand how Halle's whole apartment was roughly the same size as the room she stayed in at his manor back in Dres Van. How did commoners live like this?

Halle gently held the ice pack Prince Roberto had fetched for her against the spot on her head she had bumped on that concrete wall earlier. She then opened her mouth and called out suddenly, appearing to be talking to no one in particular. "Sergio, I'm home!"

"Sergio...?" Prince Joshua screwed up his whole face in confusion.

Did Halle live with...a man!?

Halle saw the look on Prince Joshua's face and just immediately cracked up laughing, instantly knowing where his mind just went. "Oh, don't worry, Prince Joshua. Other than you guys, Sergio is the only man in my life, and he's a..."

"Meow!" A slender black cat suddenly jumped up onto the kitchen counter at the sound of his name being spoken, and he gently purred as he crawled into Halle's lap.

Prince Joshua instantly backed up against the nearest wall as he stared at the cat in absolute horror. "Wh-what! You have a c-ca...!?"

"A cat, yes." Halle scooped up her beloved kitty into her arms and rubbed her face lovingly against his. "Hi, Sergio! Did you miss me?"

Prince Roberto chuckled and held onto the back of Prince Joshua's coat collar to keep him from high-tailing it out of there at the sight of Sergio. "Come on, Josh! I know you're scared of cats, but if you were to get along with a cat even just once in your life, it would be Sergio."

Halle worriedly shot Prince Joshua a look, hugging Sergio close to her chest. "Prince Joshua, I promise you he's really friendly... He would never scratch or bite anyone."

Prince Joshua was completely turned off from the idea of Halle's cat being anywhere near him, and he suddenly excused himself from the kitchen. "I-I think I'll just have a seat in your living room..."

Halle just sighed as she watched him run out of there as fast as possible, and she flashed Prince Roberto an apologetic look. "At the time, I never thought you giving me a cat for my birthday last year would turn out to be such a disaster now."

"Well, I thought you could use the company!" Prince Roberto just laughed, then excused himself to join Prince Joshua in the living room. "I'm gonna go sit with Josh while you make lunch. Just let me know if you need anything!"

Halle hopped down from the counter and gently set Sergio on the floor. "Will do."

Prince Roberto left his sister in the open kitchen and walked over to the couch where he expected Prince Joshua to be brooding, but to his immediate shock, he wasn't there.

"Josh?" Prince Roberto peeked down the little hallway that lead to Halle's bedroom at the end, and he spotted the purple-haired Prince staring absentmindedly at a series of photos hung up on the wall. "So this is where you were..."

Prince Joshua was staring at a picture of young Halle in a black graduation cap and gown being held in Prince Roberto's arms, and she held onto both him and her college diploma as she comically kicked one leg up in the air. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces, as if they were both laughing when this was taken.

"Alberto took that." Prince Roberto stuffed his hands into his pockets, standing next to Prince Joshua as he stood next to him. "That was the day Halle graduated from law school. She was so thrilled that she finally could become a lawyer..."

Prince Joshua seemed lost as he looked at the picture of twenty-year-old Halle, seeing the sadness within her eyes that was masked by her bright smile. If Prince Roberto hadn't said anything to him about Halle back when they were in the courtroom earlier today, Prince Joshua would never have had any idea that Halle had lived such...a tragic life.

The sound of humming coming from the kitchen caused Prince Joshua to look away from the photo, and he saw Halle spinning around and dancing around the kitchen across the room from him as she got to cooking something. Sergio was standing up on the counter, keeping Halle company as she hummed to herself with a blissful smile on her face.

"Looking at that smile now, I bet it's hard to believe everything I told you about her earlier." Prince Roberto quietly exhaled his thoughts aloud as he turned to the purple-haired Prince. "Right, Josh?"

"Yeah..." Prince Joshua frowned as his eyes lingered on Halle for a moment more, completely transfixed by the beauty dancing around the kitchen and humming to herself as if no one were watching.

Prince Joshua turned and spotted the largest framed photo hung up at the end of the hallway, and before he could ask who the woman standing behind the fifteen-year-old Halle was, Prince Roberto read his mind and beat him to it.

"That's Halle's mother, Clarissa." Prince Roberto looked up at the large photo of Halle smiling brightly as her mother hugged her from behind, and a deep feeling of sadness settled at the pit of the stomachs of both Princes as they looked at it. "Clarissa died when Halle was only eighteen."

The mention of the death of Halle's mother only made Prince Joshua draw into his own thoughts, recalling the conversation he had with Prince Roberto in the courtroom just a mere hour before...

* * *

One hour ago...

Prince Roberto awkwardly shuffled in his seat in the courtroom, shooting Prince Joshua a fleeting glance. "Well... I probably shouldn't be telling you this, since it's not really my place, but I know she won't tell you unless you pry it out of her."

"What?" Prince Joshua looked at Prince Roberto strangely, kind of worried about what he had to say. When Prince Roberto paused and didn't say anything, Prince Joshua just grew more and more anxious. "What is it?"

"It's about Halle..." Prince Roberto turned to face the purple-haired Prince with a grim look on his face. "She grew up in a single-parent household. Her mother was all she had, and she died when Halle was really young."

"What?" Prince Joshua's eyes widened tremendously, and he instinctively looked over at the young woman in question fighting her court case as he spoke to Prince Roberto. "Wait, is that why she..." He suddenly recalled the first day Halle was stuck in Dres Van when she snapped at him for pressing her for her family's contact information, that way he could call and explain her situation to them, but she yelled at him and exclaimed she had no family to contact.

"Look, Josh..." Prince Roberto saw the look on Prince Joshua's face, sympathizing with him as he spoke. "Halle's the type of girl who keeps everything inside and tries to deal with any problems she has all on her own. She's not the type to just come right out and tell you everything about her, especially not her past." He frowned a little as he thought of his sister's stubbornness. "And she definitely doesn't like to ask for help with anything, either."

"Where was her father when she was growing up?" Prince Joshua looked a little angry as he turned to Prince Roberto, who only seemed to flinch at his question.

Prince Roberto had a guilty look on his face as he tried to think of a way to explain. "Well... He just wasn't a part of Halle's life, so it was all on her mother to raise her. But..."

"But what?" Prince Joshua shook his head, waiting for Prince Roberto to continue.

"Halle's mother had Leukemia, and she was in and out of the hospital a lot." Prince Roberto grabbed the back of his neck as he awkwardly avoided Prince Joshua's questioning stare. "They couldn't really afford any of the experimental cancer treatments that could have potentially saved her life, so Halle decided when she was very young that she would become a lawyer in order to help her mother sue her absentee father at least for the child support he never paid, which could have helped them pay for the treatments." Prince Roberto frowned as he watched the purple-haired Prince's reaction to this news, and he knew it was only about to get worse with what he had to say next. "For as long as I've known her, Halle has always been thinking about what's the logical thing to do in every situation. She never had time to make friends with any kids growing up, since she was always studying and taking extra classes to graduate early. She was always so focused about her future as a lawyer and never really lived in the present, and because of that, she really missed out on having a fun childhood."

Prince Joshua looked absolutely stunned as Prince Roberto told him all of this, and he somberly looked over at Halle's strong figure as she continued arguing her case to the judge. He knew better than anyone else what it felt like to have no childhood, or no parents, for that matter. "...how young was Halle when she decided to abandon her childhood and focus purely on her studies to become a lawyer?"

"Ten." Prince Roberto frowned a little, staring off at his sister as depressingly as Prince Joshua was. "She graduated early from high school at sixteen, got a full-ride scholarship to the best law school in the kingdom, and eventually graduated when she was twenty." His eyes almost seemed dead as he wore a melancholy expression. "But by the time she finally became a lawyer, she was two years too late to help her mother..."

Prince Joshua jerked his head away from Halle to stare at Prince Roberto with widened eyes. "But wasn't that the entire reason she worked so hard to become a lawyer in the first place...?"

Prince Roberto felt his own heart plummet to the bottom of his stomach just thinking about what his sister went through growing up. "Yeah. So she stuck with the career anyways, and has been using it to help anyone she can ever since..."

* * *

Prince Joshua stared aimlessly at Halle's smiling face as she hummed and danced in the kitchen, feeling absolutely distraught as he recalled everything Prince Roberto had told him earlier.

"Prince Roberto..." Prince Joshua turned to look at the brunette with a strangely somber look on his face. "How is it that she can keep smiling like that when she's been through so much pain...?"

Prince Roberto shrugged his shoulders and looked across the room at Halle's bright and happy presence in the room that Prince Joshua seemed to be completely transfixed on. "I have no idea. I guess you would have to ask her that, don't you think?" He smiled bitterly and looked to the purple-haired Prince, waiting to see what his next move would be.

Whether or not Prince Joshua did anything with this information was completely up to him now. Prince Roberto saw how the typically cold and detached Prince looked at his sister, and the way she looked back at him with that soul-piercing gaze... He had never seen Halle so happy in her life, and because he knew her so well, he absolutely knew for a fact that she would let the secrets of her past keep her from acknowledging that happiness she felt with Prince Joshua.

So...he gave her a little push. After all, what else were big brothers for?

Prince Roberto watched as Prince Joshua carefully avoided Sergio the cat and joined Halle in the kitchen. She appeared surprised to see him at first, but then she smiled at him and struck up a conversation. Prince Joshua just looked into her eyes no matter what she was saying, completely transfixed with her in every way.

As Prince Roberto found himself smiling at the two who only had eyes for the other, like they were the only ones in the entire world, the house phone began to ring.

Halle looked away from Prince Joshua and over at the ringing extension over by the couch Prince Roberto was standing next to. "Oh, that must be Carrie with an update on the files I asked her to take care of for me." She beamed over at the brunette Prince and delicately pointed to the phone. "Robbie, would you mind getting that? You can just put it on speaker."

"Sure!" Prince Roberto grinned and happily picked up the phone, but the second he put it on speaker phone, a sexy, alluring voice purred from the other end of the line.

 _"Isn't this mystifying?"_

Halle groaned at the sound of her assistant's voice, and she slapped her forehead in annoyance as the other two Princes just looked at her in shock. "What is?"

 _"That right now you were thinking about me, and then out of the blue your phone rings, and it's me?"_ Carrie's low, racy tone of voice rang out through the entire room, only eliciting more confusion from the Princes. _"How's that for a deep, personal bond on a spiritual level?"_

Halle had to bite down on her tongue to keep herself from laughing at the looks of both confusion and terror on the faces of the two Princes in the room. "Carrie, you're on speaker phone." She smirked devilishly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Say hello to Prince Joshua and Prince Roberto."

Carrie's voice cracked so hard and so fast that it almost sounded like someone had smacked her over the head with a clipboard. _"...WHAT!?"_ She let out a horrified shriek of embarrassment, back to her usual tone of voice immediately. _"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Boss, why didn't you tell me you had company?"_

Halle only smiled as she rolled her eyes. "Why must you always insist on comically answering the phone with pretend dirty talk?"

There was a slight pause before Carrie answered that with a hint of hope and silliness laced in her voice. _"Because it's hilarious and shows just how close of friends we are?"_

Halle just chuckled under her breath and shook her head back and forth. "Uh huh. Sure." She then changed the topic to get back on track with the conversation. "Anyways, what is this regarding? Did you file all of the paperwork for today's trial?"

Carrie's cheery voice rang out from the other end of the line. _"Mmhmm! I just wanted to let you know that everything is taken care of."_

Halle smiled as she crossed the room over to the landline and looked down at the phone. "Nice job, Carrie."

 _"No prob, Boss~!"_ Carrie's melodic voice chimed over the phone one last time before the sound of the call being dropped rang out, and Halle hung up the phone.

Prince Joshua never looked more alarmed and confused in his entire life. "...you and your assistant have a very strange friendship."

Halle turned her head to look back over at him in the kitchen with an exasperated smile on her face. "Tell me about it."

"I'm just glad you have friends other than me for a change!" Prince Roberto grinned boyishly as he reached over and gave Halle's arm a playful shove.

Halle immediately frowned at the notion, getting on the defensive as she returned to the kitchen to fetch a serving plate filled with sandwiches she had just prepared. "I have friends, thank you very much!"

Prince Roberto crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her and Prince Joshua return to the couch, and they all sat down with the plate of sandwiches in front of them on the coffee table. "Oh yeah? Name two, not including myself or your assistant."

Halle swallowed a big bite of her sandwich awkwardly as she waffled to think of her limited friend list. "Well, um..." Her eyes wandered over to the purple-haired Prince oddly inspecting the commoner's food before him, and her eyes lit up like stars. "Ah! Prince Joshua! We're friends, aren't we?"

"Of course." Prince Joshua didn't even hesitate to answer that with a stern look on his face, and he glanced over at Halle before he looked back down at the little sandwich in his hand. Halle felt her heart swell when she saw the look of delight on his face as he took a bite of the sandwich she had made.

Prince Roberto frowned as he shook his head. "Josh doesn't count."

Halle snapped her eyes wide open in shock, tearing them away from Prince Joshua only to look over at the brunette Prince curiously. "Huh? Why not!?"

Prince Joshua seemed to be just as irritated by that remark, and he stuffed his face with another sandwich as he glared over at Prince Roberto. "Why don't I count as her friend?"

Prince Roberto's shoulders fell as he looked back and forth between the two unbelievably. "Guys, are you being serious right now...?"

Were they both seriously that dense?

Halle ignored the look on her brother's face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What about Jan and Albie? Do they count as my friends?"

Prince Roberto shot her a scrutinizing look as he rose an eyebrow. "Well, you don't really talk to them much outside of whenever you're with us, do you?"

Halle slumped a little from where she sat next to Prince Joshua, frowning ever so slightly. "...no, not really."

"Then they don't count." Prince Roberto firmly nodded his head with his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"But...!" Halle held up a finger in her defense, only to be interrupted by her brother once again.

"Halle, your friends basically just consist of people you work with." Prince Roberto made the observation with a slight look of worry on his face.

"That's not true!" Halle dropped her jaw at Prince Roberto's comment, and she looked across the room over at the black cat slinking away in the background. "...Sergio is my friend too."

Prince Roberto sweatdropped at his sister's statement. "He's a cat, Halle..."

"So!?" Halle got on the defensive once more, and she shot straight up from where she sat. "So what if I don't have a handful of friends outside of work and whatnot!" She looked between Prince Roberto and Prince Joshua, keeping her eyes on the purple-haired Prince. "I have you guys, Sergio, Albie, Jan, Carrie... You're all I need!" She looked back over at her brother with a little pout on her face. "Why do I need to have a bunch of other friends to be considered normal when I have you guys...?"

There was a long pause before Prince Roberto abruptly shot up and glomped his sister in the tightest vice grip of a hug. "...AWW, THAT WAS THE CUTEST THING YOU COULD HAVE SAID JUST NOW!"

Halle let out a choked sound as she floundered in the big, clumsy Prince's arms. "ACK, WHAT THE!? LET GO OF ME!"

Prince Roberto spotted a few cardboard boxes stacked on the floor behind her, and he suddenly let go of her as his curiosity got the best of him. "Oh, hey, Halle. What's that?"

"Huh? Oh, that." Halle turned and looked over at what Prince Roberto was staring at, and she walked over and picked up all three of the file boxes and plopped them on the table in front of him. "It's all of the documents and research I've complied for you, as you requested."

"Three boxes of it!?" Prince Roberto dropped his jaw at the three large boxes filled with stacks of papers and books with sticky notes wedged between the pages. The entire thing was tediously organized and color-coded.

"Yes, three boxes of it!" Halle stared at him incredulously, a little mystified by how turned off from the idea of doing research her brother was, compared to herself, who loved doing it. "When you ask for my help, I'm very thorough about it!" She stood up straight and looked a little lost within herself as she stared at him. "Look, because I can't be there to help you myself, since I can't enter the castle, this is my way of backing you up. If I can't be there to help you in person, the least I can do is be there for you on paper."

Prince Roberto took her words to heart as he wore a sad, unbalanced smile on his face. "Thanks, Halle..."

"What is all of that?" Prince Joshua stared incredulously at the three boxes of papers and books, letting his curiosity get the best of him.

"Well..." Prince Roberto awkwardly reached up and scratched at the back of his head, avoiding eye contact with the purple-haired Prince.

Halle looked from Prince Joshua's confused face over to her brother's lost one. "Can I tell him?"

Prince Roberto hesitated for a brief moment before he then nodded his head in approval. "...yeah. Go ahead."

Halle turned and sat down next to Prince Joshua, looking at him directly in his captivating purple eyes as she spoke. "In Altaria, the crowned Prince or Princess must be married by the age of twenty five in order to take the throne."

Prince Joshua's eyes widened in alarm as he looked over to the brunette Prince sulking before him. "But Prince Roberto, you're already..."

"I know." Prince Roberto didn't even need to hear the rest of that sentence to understand what Prince Joshua was thinking. "If I don't get married before I turn twenty six in a few months, I can't take the throne."

Prince Joshua grew oddly quiet as he looked upon the fellow Prince's weak stature. "But you are the only heir..."

Halle flinched at that statement as she folded her hands in her lap, and she turned to look at Prince Joshua with a look of sadness lost within her eyes. "If Robbie is unable to take the throne simply because he is not married by the time he turns twenty six in October, the next King will be the current King's younger brother."

Prince Roberto leaned up against the wall as he folded his arms over his chest, looking down at the floor as he spoke. "My uncle is really eager to take the throne, and although I don't really know myself if I want to be King just yet, or know if I'm even fit for the position, I definitely don't trust him with it..."

"Robbie, don't say that." Halle cut in abruptly, glaring at the sullen Prince with a look of annoyance on her face. "You will make a great King someday." Prince Roberto looked up at that, and he stared at her in bewilderment as she wore a bitter smile and looked at him. "And I'm not one to sugarcoat things or tell white lies, so when I say that, it's because I truly believe it."

"Halle..." Prince Roberto's usual smile was slowly returning to his face, and he was already feeling his mood begin to lift again.

Prince Joshua curtly cut in, not even bothering to sugarcoat his words. "So you only have three months to find a bride, or you're deemed unfit to be King?"

"Yeah..." Prince Roberto flinched at the thought, frowning a little.

Halle turned and smirked confidently at Prince Joshua as she spoke. "Unless we succeed in challenging the council and try to get the old custom revoked."

"You can do that?" Prince Joshua's eyes widened slightly.

Halle bit her lip as she nervously looked down and off to the side. "Well... It's never successfully been done, but we have to at least try." She reached over and placed a hand on one of the boxes. "This is what all of this research is for: history on the custom and the laws surrounding it, previous attempts of challenging it or getting it revoked... The whole nine yards."

Something she had said earlier had suddenly made its way to the front of Prince Joshua's mind, and he stared at her in confusion. "Wait, why can't you enter the castle?"

Prince Roberto's eyes snapped wide open as he suddenly stood straight up."Josh, I wouldn't..."

Halle bitterly laughed under her breath, staring down at the floor. "Because I...can't legally enter the castle. I've been banned from setting foot on the grounds for the past five years."

Prince Joshua could not have been more surprised by that response. "What? Why?"

Halle looked conflicted as she stared into his eyes with a look of pain reflected within her own. "I'm sorry, Prince Joshua, but I can't answer that. I signed a non-disclosure agreement preventing me from discussing with anyone the incident or the details around it, even you." She looked down at her lap in shame. "I could face legal troubles if I ever were to speak a word of it..."

Prince Joshua looked from her to Prince Roberto as a look of suspicion crept onto his face. "This has something to do with how you two met, doesn't it?"

"I..." Halle hesitated, unable to meet his gaze.

Prince Roberto firmly looked over at the purple-haired Prince with no trance of hesitation. "Yes. It has everything to do with it."

Halle let out the breath she was holding as the doorbell rang, and she stood up from the couch and began to head that way. "Wow, they got here fast."

The grim mood that had been hanging over the room for the past five minutes was now gone, and Prince Roberto looked at his sister's back in confusion as she walked over to answer the door. "Huh? Who got here fast?"

"Prince Roberto!" Alberto's angry voice flew through the door the second Halle opened it, followed by a heavy sigh from the man in question.

Prince Roberto cringed as he slumped his shoulders. "Oh... _He_ got here fast."

"You called them...!?" Prince Joshua looked to Halle in alarm as he spotted both Jan and Alberto standing at the door, not having expected that.

"Of course I called them!" Halle exclaimed defiantly before she smiled at the both of them. "As much as I love having you two over for a visit, you are both the crowned Prince of your respected kingdoms, and you have your duties to attend to." She turned back to the door and held it open for the two butlers, ushering them both to come in. "Albie, Jan! Please, do come in."

Jan had a grievous look on his face as he entered Halle's apartment, standing in his usual perfect posture as he met the eyes of his master. "Your Highness... You had me slightly worried there, just up and cancelling all of your plans for today. Shall we return back to the manor now?"

Prince Joshua frowned a little at the thought of leaving, and he found himself staring only at Halle as he spoke. "I suppose that would be best..."

"Prince Roberto, are you mentally deranged!?" Alberto scolded his master at high volume, instantly causing the Prince to wince and cover his ears.

Prince Roberto waffled to form any sort of response to that. "Wha...! Alberto, come on, I was just..."

"Skipping out on yet another mandatory royal duty." Alberto sharply cut in, completely infuriated with his master's silly behavior, as usual. "You must take your responsibilities seriously, Prince Roberto!"

Prince Roberto cringed at all of the reprimanding. "Alright, alright... I get it. You can stop scolding me now! I'm not a dog..."

Alberto drew in one long, deep, frustrated breath of air as he struggled to keep his composure. "Oh, I could only wish for such a thing to be true. My job would be much easier if I could keep you on a leash."

"Hey...!" Prince Roberto dropped his jaw in shock at his butler's crudeness. "Who's butler and who's master here again!?"

"Pfft..." Halle let out a small scoff under her breath as she stood next to Prince Joshua and Jan, watching the argument before her with complete fascination. "I would imagine that those two will be bickering for quite some time after today." She turned to face Prince Joshua with a sad smile on her face, struggling to keep her troublesome emotions from showing by only smiling harder. "It was wonderful to see you again, Prince Joshua."

Prince Joshua didn't even bother to put on a face as he sullenly looked down at her. "Yeah... It was nice to see...you too..."

"Until we meet again?" Halle tilted her head to the side as she looked up into his deep purple eyes, fighting herself to keep smiling despite the tears that threatened to prick at her eyes.

Prince Joshua nodded his head as he suddenly turned and began to follow Jan out the door. "Until then, Halle..."

* * *

 **Yikes, long time no update. Sorry, guys! Life has been insane these past few months, with my dad undergoing heart surgery and me struggling to finish up the semester. But I sat down and busted out this chapter finally! I hope you all enjoyed it! :)**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	17. Chapter 17

Halle sat at her little kitchen table early the next morning, quietly drinking a cup of coffee to herself as she read the newspaper at breakfast. She never used to read the newspaper, but after staying with Prince Joshua for two weeks, it just kind of...stuck with her.

Halle sighed and set down the newspaper she was reading, feeling a little lonely by herself in her empty apartment. Living alone never bothered her before, but after having her two house guests over yesterday, she couldn't help but feel a little empty inside as she looked out her open window at the sun rising. It felt so lonely now, even with Sergio by her side.

As if he could read her thoughts, Sergio jumped up onto the table and brushed against Halle's hand, earning a little laugh from her.

"Aww, Sergio..." Halle smiled self-depreciatingly, running her fingers through Sergio's black fur as he purred happily in response. "Thank you for cheering me up. I needed that."

As her wall clock began to chime loudly and reverberate throughout her apartment, Halle looked up and saw that it was already eight in the morning, and she quickly grew alarmed.

"Oh no, I'm running late...!" Halle immediately shot up and rushed to grab her purse and keys, frantically waving to Sergio on her way out. "Bye, kitty! See you later!"

Halle dashed down the hallway and jogged over to the elevator, and she took it all the way down to the bottom floor of her apartment complex. She glanced down at her phone and noticed Prince Roberto had sent her a good morning text message, and as she sent back a quick response, she noticed a familiar limousine parked outside her apartment building right across the street from where she stood.

"That's..." Halle's eyes slowly widened in recognition, and she instantly found herself smiling. Without even giving it a second thought, Halle jogged over to the limousine and gently knocked on the tinted window, which immediately rolled down.

The face she saw was one she knew all too well.

Halle screwed up her face in delighted confusion at the sight of Prince Joshua's typically stern face. "Your Highness...!?"

"You're late." Prince Joshua calmly scolded her, furrowing his brow tensely.

Halle blinked back her shock as she stared at him in bewilderment. "Late for what? And what are you doing here...?" She smiled despite herself, both happy and confused to see him at the same time.

Prince Joshua responded casually without batting an eye. "Don't you realize? Jan!" He craned his neck to look at the person in the driver's seat, only furthering Halle's confusion.

Jan rolled down the window of the driver's seat and popped his head out to smile at Halle. "We have come to collect you."

Halle's jaw fell open as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish. "Wha...?" Her eyes fell back on Prince Joshua as she stared at him accusingly. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that." Prince Joshua daringly looked at her with a bemused smile, completely unwavering. He didn't look like he was going to explain any further, and Halle narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't understand..." Halle's eyes flickered between Jan and Prince Joshua in suspicion. She glanced down at her cell phone to check the time, and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up when she saw that she had only five minutes left to get to the office. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm running late for work, and I really have to get going to the office..." She bowed her head towards Jan. "Please excuse me..."

Jan continued to smile as she spoke, and he reached out and gently took a hold of her arm to stop her. "Then we can give you a ride." He turned and shot a meaningful glance to Prince Joshua. "Right, Your Highness?"

Prince Joshua wore an ambiguous expression as his eyes suddenly fixated on Halle. "I suppose. Get in."

Halle let out the breath she was holding at that emotionless response. After that awkward good-bye yesterday, this was how he chose to greet her? Well, she supposed it was just like him to do so, and that made her laugh. She felt mixed feelings about accepting the ride as she looked at Prince Joshua's face, but she _was_ running late...

And with that thought, Halle climbed into the limousine.

The door shut with a bang, and the car began to move. Halle looked over at Prince Joshua next to her and frowned when she saw he was completely ignoring her and just staring out the window. She huffed and decided to look out her window as well, and that's when she noticed they were headed in the completely opposite direction of her office.

Halle quizzically turned and looked at Prince Joshua with narrowed eyes. "Sorry, but... Why are we going this way? My office is back..." She paused when she saw a sign that read 'Now Leaving Altaria,' and she hopelessly looked behind her at her kingdom slowly growing further away. "...there."

Prince Joshua started to shake as he covered his mouth with his hand, and Halle glared at him as a small laugh escaped his lips. "You didn't actually think we were going to take you to work, did you?"

"What do you mean...!?" Halle looked from Prince Joshua's face to Jan, who only shrugged in response as he frowned and stared ahead at the road.

"I am very sorry, but could you please accompany us for a while?" Jan looked to her apologetically through the mirror, wearing his usual smile once again.

"What?" Halle glanced back at Prince Joshua with her eyebrows furrowed. "Accompany you where?" Prince Joshua merely smiled with amusement as he watched her silly reactions with a satirical eye. Halle saw the look on his face and immediately grew angry. "...are you abducting me!?"

Prince Joshua looked straight at her with his usual expression...and he just _laughed_. "Abducting you...?" He had a mysterious look in his eyes as he smirked at her. "Well, I suppose I am."

Halle's heart skipped a beat at the look on his face, and her face twisted into an immeidate scowl as she glared at him.

"Your Highness..." Jan hesitantly spoke, only to be silenced by Prince Joshua by the wave of his hand.

"Wait, about before..." Prince Joshua turned to look at Halle straight into her caramel-brown eyes. "You made that, right?"

"Made what?" Halle narrowed her eyes as she stared at him, trying to understand what he was talking about.

Prince Joshua appeared to be frustrated at her confusion, as if it were completely obvious what he was trying to say. "That thing you gave me at the end there..."

Halle's eyes slowly widened as she recalled their depressing good-bye after the party at Nobel Michel a little over a week ago, and she smiled a little. "You mean the rice ball...?"

Prince Joshua nodded. "That's it." He tilted his head to the side a little as he looked right through her eyes and straight into her soul. "Did you make it at Nobel Michel?"

Halle matched his head tilt and stared at him with a puzzled expression. "Yes, why?"

Prince Joshua's face fell as he quickly looked away from her. "Never mind..."

Halle never looked more perplexed in her life as she rose an eyebrow to the sulking Prince's back. She couldn't help but wonder what the rice ball had to do with any of this...

Halle swallowed her annoyance and tapped on Prince Joshua's shoulder, then scowled at him a little when he turned to glance at her. "So where are you taking me? I do have work today, you know."

"We're..." Prince Joshua started to respond, but he turned his face away from her as she waited patiently for him to continue. "You'll find out."

That was the last straw. Halle didn't even bother to hide her frustration as she leveled the most intense glare at Prince Joshua; a glare she only used in court to intimidate her opposing council. She turned to Jan with that terrifying glare and gripped the car door's handle. "Stop the car."

Prince Joshua immediately turned to look at her in shock as she fiddled with the lock on the door. "What are you...?"

Jan wore the same expression as he matched Prince Joshua's actions. "Miss Halle?"

Halle stopped trying to open the car door long enough to shoot her glare back a the two men. "Well, I don't have a clue what is going on, but I don't think I want any part of it."

Jan shot Prince Joshua a glance and sighed as both his shoulders and face fell. "The truth is..."

Prince Joshua immediately widened his eyes and looked horrified. "Jan." His expression grew angry as he cut across Jan's words, and he glared at him from the back seat.

Halle looked back and forth between the two as her face grew even more puzzled with each passing second. What on earth was going on here!?

Jan returned Halle's gaze, and the air in the car was filled with tension as she held his serious gaze. She got the impression that it wasn't something trivial...

Halle swallowed the lump in her throat as Jan made another attempt to speak, and she snapped her eyes wide open as she saw Jan's lips turn up into the most innocent smile. "The truth is, His Highness wants you to make him some more rice balls!"

...

...what?

Halle's posture slumped as she hung her jaw in shock, replaying Jan's words in her head over and over. She was still unable to grasp what he had just said no matter how many times she replayed it. "Wh...what...?"

All of this...was over some rice balls...?

Prince Joshua looked embarrassed as he covered his reddening face and sunk further back into his car seat, and Jan smiled warmly at Halle with an air of innocence surrounding him. And Halle continued to stare at them wildly as the limousine took them all the way back to the Dres Van kingdom.

* * *

In the end, Halle found herself back in Dres Van Manor, and making rice balls. She felt a little strange when the royal chef carefully watched her make them with a serious expression on his face.

Halle tried not to laugh at how strange this situation was as she held out a plate of rice balls for Prince Joshua in the dining hall, muttering under her breath, "well, I guess this is one of those once in a lifetime experiences..." She lightly shook her head at him and smirked. "Here you are, Your Highness..."

Prince Joshua stared at the plate for a while before he slowly reached out to take a rice ball. "I asked the chef, Jan, and the maids to try making them for me, but they didn't taste right..."

Halle's eyes slowly widened as she stared at him in awe. "What...?" She watched him take a bite of the rice ball, and his expression softened immediately.

"This is good." Prince Joshua said with a smile as he continued to demolish the rice ball bite after bite, causing Halle's stomach to do flips.

Halle couldn't help but smile endearingly as she watched him devour each and every rice ball she had made for him. There was something cute about him when he ate like that...

She felt herself relax a little as an amiable atmosphere settled upon the room, and she could see Jan smiling as he stood in attendance nearby.

Halle leaned forward and craned her neck a little to look at Prince Joshua's face. "May I return home now, then...?" She didn't quite know how she felt about being a few hours late to work and coming all this way just to make him rice balls, but she couldn't exactly stay here forever...

Prince Joshua frowned as he immediately stood up from his chair. "You can't."

Halle stared at him in disbelief as she nearly fell over from shock. "What!?"

Prince Joshua turned and leaned very close to her face as he made direct eye contact with her. "I can't allow you to go home." His voice was even lower than usual, and it sent shivers down her spine.

Halle felt her teeth clench as she narrowed her eyes at him, seething her anger through her teeth. "You won't _let_ me...?"

Prince Joshua delicately lifted her chin up with his hand as he gazed directly into her eyes with a soul-piercing stare. "If you want to go home that badly, I suggest you find me someone who can make these as well as you do."

He was meaner than Halle had ever seen him, and she lost her temper as she hardened her glare. "You need someone specifically to make you rice balls!?" She spoke a little forcefully, and he lost a little of his gusto.

"...Of course." Prince Joshua answered that with a straight face, as if it were obvious.

A vein bulged from Halle's forehead as she took a step closer to him, poking him right in the chest as she rose her voice. "What do you mean, of course!?" Her eyes grew deadly cold as she stared him down, and Prince Joshua took a hesitant step back. "Don't tell me you intend to keep me here just so I can make you rice balls!?"

Prince Joshua nodded decisively, thoroughly sure of the fact that he was not in the wrong here. "That was the idea." He curiously stared at her in the eyes, cocking his head to the side slightly as he gazed at her with scrutiny. "Is there a problem with that?"

Halle just scoffed and took a step back, rolling her eyes. "They are just rice balls..." She paused and stared at him accusingly with her narrowed eyes. "Can't you find someone else to make them for you!?" She spoke unthinkingly, and his face fell.

Prince Joshua wore a look that of a kicked puppy as he looked down upon Halle's delicate face before him. "It has to be you..."

Halle felt her heart jump into her throat as he whispered that and showed her a moment of weakness, but he soon returned to his overly-confident self.

Prince Joshua shook his head for a moment, as if to clear his head of thoughts racing through his mind. "Anyway, you can't leave here."

Halle dropped her jaw as she stared at him unbelievably. "What!?"

Prince Joshua looked awfully sure of himself as he wore a smug smile. "You cannot leave the kingdom."

His smile was so out of place that it made Halle even more cross. "What are you saying!?" Halle's hands flew up to her hair as she pulled on it lightly in frustration. "Just because you are a Prince...don't you dare think you can just have your way all the time!" She glared at Prince Joshua before taking her belongings in hand and heading towards the exit.

"Miss Halle...!" Jan called out from behind her, but she didn't dare turn back once as she fled the dining hall.

Halle kept her back to the two men as she stormed out of the dining hall, angrily raising her voice as she jabbed a finger into the air. "You can't stop me from leaving, you'll see!"

As Halle marched out of the castle doors and into the courtyard, she stormed down the front driveway as she made her way towards the colossal gate at the end of it. She hurriedly picked up her cell phone that had been ringing incessantly for the past two hours, only to hear a panicked shriek from her assistant the second she accepted the call.

 _"Boss!"_ Carrie squealed worriedly from the other end of the line. _"Where are you!? I can only cover you for so long! Garrison and Harper are going to start wondering where you are pretty soon!"_

"Carrie, I am so sorry..." Halle frowned as she let out a heavy sigh, massaging her forehead with her free hand as she continued to stomp away from the castle further and further. "Long story short, I was sort of abducted by a...friend. I'm on my way back now."

 _"You were...WHAT!?"_ Carrie's deafening scream caused Halle to immediately jerk the phone away from her ear.

Halle winced as she put the receiver back to the side of her face as she glared straight ahead. "Remember my acquaintance from yesterday, Pr-I mean, Joshua?"

 _"You mean Prince Joshua of Dres Van?"_

"Yeah, exactly." Halle nodded her head decisively, then froze immediately when what Carrie had said suddenly dawned on her. "Wait, what!?"

 _"Boss... It's not that hard to figure out. You've already been friends with Prince Roberto, who's been visiting you all the time for as long as I've had my job. Being friends with Prince Joshua as well didn't seem like much of a stretch."_ Carrie sighed from her end of the line, causing Halle to frown awkwardly. _"Plus, who wouldn't recognize a hottie like that immediately!? Girl, I know my royals and celebrities!"_

Halle just chuckled as she felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders, and she felt more relaxed as she now began to calmly walk down the driveway lined with miles of green grass and exquisite landscaping around her. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything about it sooner, Carrie... But, if you could just..."

 _"Keep it quiet? Yeah, I know."_

Halle found herself smiling as she grew closer to the gate. "Thanks, Carrie."

 _"...so are you going to tell me what going on with you and Prince Joshua or not!?"_ Carrie girlishly shrieked, getting overly excited in an instant.

Halle felt her cheeks flush as she covered her mouth with her free hand. "Wh...what do you mean? Hah...haha... There's nothing going on with me and...Prince Joshua..."

 _"Boss, I wasn't born yesterday!"_ Carrie impatiently groaned, and Halle could hear the sound of her fist impatiently slamming down on her desk. _"Come on! First, I thought you were seeing Prince Roberto, but after seeing how Prince Joshua couldn't keep his eyes off of you yesterday, I just KNOW there is something going on!"_ Carrie whimpered as she spoke in a low, whining tone. _"Pleeeeease Boss... Come on, I promise I won't tell anyone!"_

Halle felt her heart stop beating as she froze, unsure of what to say to that. "I...honestly don't have a clue, Carrie..."

 _"Aww, you're no fun!"_ Carrie cried out in disappointment, earning a small smile from Halle.

"Sorry to disappoint." Halle bitterly smirked to herself as she approached the security building at the gate. "Alright, I'll text you an update on my ETA once I have one. In the meantime, keep stalling."

 _"On it, Boss!"_

Halle hung up the phone with a heavy sigh, and as she was about to approach the security guard manning the gate, she felt someone from behind her grab a hold of her arm. When she turned around, she was not all that surprised to see Jan there.

"Wait!" Jan stopped her right where she stood with a somber look on his face. "I knew His Highness to be stubborn by nature..." He paused, then smirked a little as he looked at her. "...but it seems you have a stubborn streak as well."

Halle let out a strangled 'urk...!' as Jan completely called her out on that, and she bitterly frowned a little. "Well...I don't deny it." She relaxed her tense muscles as he sent her a brief smile. She twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, awkwardly looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Jan... I lost my temper a bit back there..."

Jan shook his head as he quickly reassured her. "No, it's fine. You were coerced into coming here today, so I can see how you feel. Your reaction was just and understandable."

Halle slowly looked up at Jan, unable to suppress the frown that made its way to her lips. "Is...Prince Joshua _always_ like that?"

Jan pressed a finger to his lips as he contemplated her words for a brief moment. "Well, he is and he isn't."

Halle flashed him a confused grin as she rose a single eyebrow. "Meaning...?"

Jan was quick to just innocently beam at her. "I'm not quite sure myself." As Halle's face fell into an irritated stare, Jan reached out to gently touch her cheek, catching her off guard. "One thing I can say is..." His large, expressive eyes shook slightly as he looked at her. "His Highness is not the same person he used to be...before meeting you."

Halle felt her whole reality around her shatter into a million tiny pieces at Jan's kind words. She felt herself slowly crack a grin as her mind grew unclouded. "He...isn't?"

Jan simply just smiled at her. "No, he is most certainly not." He held out his arm for her to take as he gestured her towards the gate. "Please allow me to escort you home, Miss Halle."

A limousine pulled up as he spoke, and Halle let out a small "oh" as she felt a wave of embarrassment rush through her.

Jan flashed her a curious grin as he eyed her reaction. "Please don't tell me you were planning on walking all the way back?"

Halle looked like she was about to cry from frustration as she realized she couldn't exactly tell him that she had not thought that far just yet.

"Alright..." Halle sighed in defeat, taking Jan's arm and allowing him to help her into the car. "Let's go."

* * *

As they parked in the guard's station and waited for them to lift the gate, the officer standing by held Halle's visa back out to her as he firmly shook his head. "I cannot allow you to go through."

They were at the border having their visas checked as the stern immigration officer standing before them told her this, and Halle grew cross as she stared at him in bewilderment.

"I was told I should be able to come and go just fine with this...?" Halle held up her visa for the officer to see, only to be met with his straight-faced stare.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to go through." The officer reprimanded her, pushing her visa back into her hands.

She was at a complete loss on what to do as Jan suddenly spoke up from his place beside her in the car. "Why not? She is an important guest of the Liebens!" He seemed to be just as irritated and surprised as she was to hear this news.

The officer looked puzzled as he shook his head once more. "There isn't anything I can do. I have been told by my supervisors not to allow her through..." An apologetic look came across his face as he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe the Liebens have something to do with it?"

Halle and Jan exchanged looks as the officer spoke those words, and Halle's brow instantly furrowed in annoyance when she realized what was going on.

"I swear to God... I am going to _kill_ that man!" Halle suddenly yelled out in frustration, slamming her fists down to her sides.

* * *

When Halle suddenly stormed back into the Dres Van Manor's dining hall, Prince Joshua, who had been leisurely leaning back in a chair and reading the newspaper, did not appear to be fazed by her sudden entrance in the slightest.

"That didn't take long." Prince Joshua's eyes widened as he watched the furious woman storm over to him, sitting straight up in his chair.

Halle stopped right in front of him as she glared as fiercely as she could in his direction. "What do you mean by all of this!? I have my own responsibilities to attend to! I cannot stay here!"

Prince Joshua smiled mischievously as he feigned innocence. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Jan came into the dining hall next after Halle, and he met his Master's gaze as he spoke. "So Your Highness gave the order to keep her within the kingdom, then?"

Prince Joshua gave a troubled kind of smile at the sound of Jan's low tone of voice. "Is there a problem?"

Jan returned to his usual, smiling self. "No, I was just making sure."

As Halle listened to all of this, she suddenly felt overwhelmed as she could not fathom why this was happening to her, and she trembled with anger. "Why... Why did you do that...?"

Prince Joshua simply just smiled at her as he spoke. "I already told you."

Halle gritted her teeth and balled her hands into tight fists she kept down at her sides. "So you have someone to make you rice balls!?"

Prince Joshua laughed a little as he smiled at her with his eyes. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to." He tried his best not to laugh at her face reddened with anger, and he took her chin in his hand and lifted her face up to meet his as he felt her whole body freeze from his touch. "I don't mean to keep you forever..." He frowned a little as he spoke with an edge to his voice, which made Halle's heart beat faster. "Just for a little while..."

Halle felt herself relax as her anger instantly melted away at the sight of the apologetic look on his face. "Just...for a little while?" Her whispered words trailed off, and his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her.

"I realize that I am being selfish..." Prince Joshua lightly touched her arm and took a step closer to her, looking down into her beautiful brown eyes with the most transfixed look on his face. "But will you please stay here for a little while longer with me...?"

Halle didn't know what to say as her eyes fell to the floor, and she found herself unable to look at him as a long silence ensued. Prince Joshua turned his head away from her as he looked absolutely heartbroken.

"I hadn't known what I was doing when I found myself dragging Jan along to find you..." Prince Joshua spoke slowly and carefully, reaching out to grab the back of his chair to support himself as he looked down at the floor.

Halle immediately looked up at him, catching his gaze as he took her in completely with his purple eyes. "Me...?"

Prince Joshua took a few steps closer to her, taking a hold of both her arms this time as he pleadingly looked down at her face. "Will you not stay just a little longer...?" He spoke shyly, and Halle's heart raced in her chest.

Halle stared at him as her lip quivered, and she quickly closed her eyes, grabbing at her hair and turning around in frustration. "Ugh, I could not possibly say no to that face...!" She whimpered as she turned back to face him, accusingly poking him in the chest. "You do not play fair, Prince Joshua...!"

Prince Joshua smiled with relief, and the longer he continued to smile, the more frantic her heartbeats became. "Thank you, Halle...!" His boyish grin grew wide as he immediately scooped her up into his arms, wrapping her in a tight, yet comforting embrace.

Halle was completely stunned at his sudden shift in mood, and she found herself smiling as she wrapped her arms around him as well. And then she got an evil idea, and she smirked at him devilishly the second he put her down. "I'll stay on one condition, mister."

Prince Joshua scoffed as his eyes crinkled from his smile, and he found himself admiring how daring she was becoming when speaking to him. "And what would that be...?"

Halle crossed her arms and held her smirk as she walked closer to him, leaving no distance between their bodies as she looked at him straight in the eyes. "I get to work from here as long as I'm staying, which means I get my own office."

Prince Joshua matched her mischievous smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest as well, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "I suppose I can arrange that."

Halle tilted her chin up to look at him even closer as she continued. "And that also means I will require my assistant to stay here as well."

Prince Joshua's brow furrowed as he took a moment to process that request before grunting a simple, 'fine,' under his breath.

Halle's mischievous glint in her eyes grew brighter as she backed Prince Joshua into a corner, and he fell down into his chair as she rested her hands down on the arms of it, trapping him where he sat. "And I get to bring my cat, too."

Prince Joshua's face paled in horror at her final demand, and he quickly flashed Jan a look of panic as he practically screamed at his butler with the look in his eyes.

Jan simply just smiled bemusedly as he shrugged his shoulders, as if he was telling his Master to agree to the lady's demands of he wanted her to stay here willingly.

Prince Joshua sighed as he sunk down in his chair further, bitterly meeting Halle's daring eyes. "...do you promise to keep him in your room at all times?"

Halle smiled brighter than the sun as she immediately stood up straight, and she giggled adorably as he conceded. "Yes, I promise! Thank you so much!"

Prince Joshua found himself shaking his head and smiling in amusement as he fixated his entranced gaze upon the beautiful woman before him, who had somehow just managed to successfully negotiate with him and get her way after all. "I couldn't possibly say no to _that_ face..."

* * *

"...no, freaking, WAY!" Carrie squealed girlishly as she stood at the curb of Halle's apartment complex back in Altaria, having a cat carrier and suitcase in hand as she watched in complete fascination as a limousine pulled up before her.

The passenger's side door opened, and Jan stepped outside. He brushed his suit jacket down with his hands to fix the wrinkles in it as he met Carrie's eyes with a charming smile, and the red-head practically swooned at the sight of him.

"Oh...my...GOD!" Carrie excitedly ran up to him, setting the cat carrier and her suitcase down next to her on the pavement. "Are you like a real butler or something?"

Jan chuckled at her excitement as he gave her a slight bow. "Yes, Miss Carrie. My name is Jan; butler to His Highness, Prince Joshua of Dres Van." He held out his hand to take hers as he smoothly placed a small kiss on the back of it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, madam."

Carrie almost fainted as she gripped her suitcase handle to steady herself. She couldn't believe what was happening as she smiled excitedly at Jan. "Okay, this is officially the best day ever. Take me away, Prince Charming! I am all yours!"

Jan smiled brightly in attempt to supress his desire to chuckle as he held the car door open for her. "After you, Miss Carrie."

* * *

That night, in Dres Van...

Halle was climbing the staircase after dinner, having the intention of going back to her room for the night when a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Is that you, Halle?"

Halle froze as a wry grin found its way to her lips, and she slowly turned around to meet the eyes of her brother, Prince Roberto.

"Robbie, what are you doing here!" Halle laughed incredulously as she descended the stairs to meet him halfway, smiling despite her confusion.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing!" Prince Roberto chuckled, then visibly winced when he heard the scuffle of fast-moving footsteps coming up behind him.

Prince Joshua caught up to the brunette Prince and shot him a terrifying look, and Halle quickly came to the conclusion that he had been trying to chase after Prince Roberto in attempt to keep him from waltzing through the manor uninvited. "Why is it you feel free to come in and wander around the manor the way you do!?"

Prince Roberto turned and gave Prince Joshua a childlike smile. "I'm not wandering around; I just thought you'd like some company!"

Prince Joshua's gaze flickered from Halle to Prince Roberto as his face visibly fell. "My office is this way..." He sighed deeply in attempt to mask his discomfort with seeing Prince Roberto acting so friendly towards Halle. "Honestly, I don't know what you think you are going to gain by hanging around me like you do."

Prince Roberto's friendly expression did not waver as he spoke matter-of-factly. "Well, if we get along, then at least it is less likely that our two kingdoms will go to war with each other..."

Halle nervously ran a hand through her hair, wondering how Prince Roberto saw it as that simple...

Prince Roberto then turned his eyes back to Halle, cocking his head to the side in confusion. "But why is Halle back here again?"

Prince Joshua seemed to not know what to say for a moment as his mouth fell open, and he stared at Prince Roberto with widened eyes. "She is..." His eyes wandered over to Halle, who stared at him expectantly in amusement as she waited for him to come up with an excuse. Prince Joshua awkwardly turned back to Prince Roberto as he cleared his throat. "...here to provide hospitality at the party tomorrow."

Halle immediately flashed Prince Joshua an annoyed glare from behind Prince Roberto. This was the first she had heard of _that_.

"Really?" Prince Roberto excitedly turned to look at Halle, who immediately forced a smile to mask her bitter feelings. "Then I will have to ask Halle to pay me hospitality as well tomorrow night!" He placed an arm around her shoulders, and the second he did, Prince Joshua grew rigid and immediately spoke up with a forced tone.

"What are you doing!?" Prince Joshua reprimanded him as he forcibly removed Prince Roberto's arm from her, acting strangely over-protective all of a sudden.

Prince Roberto looked just as stunned as Halle at the purple-haired Prince's sudden shift in behavior. "I'm...cuddling?"

"Cud..." Prince Joshua's face fell into one that of shock as he practically choked on the word, amusing Prince Roberto to no end.

Prince Roberto chortled as Halle and Prince Joshua wore identical looks of surprise. "Well, it looks like there is nothing for me to worry about after all." The brunette Prince smiled brightly, confusing Prince Joshua immensely with his ambiguous statement.

"Worry?" Prince Joshua's brow furrowed as he stared at Prince Roberto with widened eyes. "About what?"

Prince Roberto amusedly grinned at his friend as he spoke. "Well, I heard that Josh seemed pretty down lately...and I was worried, so I came to see him myself." He paused when Prince Joshua's face immediately flared red, and he smiled innocently as he looked over at Halle. "But I'm sure everything will be fine now that you are here, Halle."

"Just what are you implying!?" Prince Joshua turned his head from Halle to hide his red cheeks, angrily shouting at Prince Roberto in order to hide his deep embarrassment.

Prince Roberto snorted at that complete one-eighty in behavior. "Okay, okay. I won't get in your way." He grinned and turned to Halle, shooting her a meaningful look. "I hope to see you again soon, Halle." He waved his hand airily and hummed a tune as he turned and walked away.

Prince Joshua just sighed as he watched him go. "Honestly..."

Prince Joshua's footsteps echoed through the otherwise perfect silence as he climbed the stairs, and Halle felt a dull pain growing in her chest as an awkward silence settled upon them as she followed him up the stairs.

Halle awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she hesitantly spoke up. "It's awfully quiet all of a sudden."

Prince Joshua laughed at her observation. "You're right. Prince Roberto always causes a disturbance when he turns up here."

Halle bit down her lip and fell silent at the word 'disturbance,' wondering if she was being burden on Prince Joshua just by speaking as her brother had been a few moments ago. She hesitantly stared at Prince Joshua's back in complete silence for a moment before he suddenly turned around to face her. She was a little startled at first as he smiled kindly at her, then sighed. Halle shot him a puzzled look, wondering why he was staring at her like that.

Halle felt her heart begin to slam loudly against the walls of her chest as she nervously held eye contact with Prince Joshua, and then he suddenly...blushed?

"Don't keep silent like that." Prince Joshua awkwardly reached back to scratch his head shyly, and his cheeks burned the brilliant red of the sun setting through the large glass windows behind him.

"Oh...?" Halle's face twisted into a mischievous grin as she walked up one step to be face-to-face with Prince Joshua as she curiously stared into his expressive eyes. "But I thought you didn't like too much noise?"

He looked away at her playful teasing. "I don't mind if it's you..."

Halle's mischievous grin was gone as the shy look in his eyes caused her heart to flutter, and all that remained was a truely genuine, delighted smile as she watched the socially awkward Prince ascend the stairs with his back to her.

Halle paused for a moment as she looked at him, and she began to say something before her words trailed off. "Prince Joshua, are you..." She stopped herself when she wondered what it was she was about to say, and Prince Joshua paused and turned to look at her questioningly.

"What?" He still had that same shy look in his eyes as he awkwardly met her gaze. "Come out and say it."

They stared into one another's eyes for a moment before Halle suddenly shook her head dismissively. "No, it's nothing..."

Prince Joshua smiled strangely at her answer. "You always backtrack like that..."

Halle grew defensive as a playful smile danced across her lips. "I do not..."

Prince Joshua responded with a kind tone of voice that made Halle instantly relax and feel at ease. "Oh well... We will see sooner or later."

Halle stared at him curiously with a grin. "See what?"

Prince Joshua leaned down to look into her eyes as he remained standing on the step above her, wearing a smile identical to hers. "What you are really thinking, that is."

* * *

 **So as an apology for not updating this story for...four, five months? I wrote the next chapter for you guys so soon after my last chapter update to make it up to you XD I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Not only are we heavily shipping Halle and Prince Joshua now, but did anyone start shipping Carrie and Jan the second they first met...? XDDDD**

 **And poor Prince Joshua has to live with Sergio the cat now. Lol.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


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